Anna's True Thai News

Thank you for your votes

2012-01-17T17:02:00.001-06:00

Just got word that True Thai is the Reader's Choice winner for Best Thai Restaurant in the upcoming Minneapolis-St. Paul Magazine's annual Best Restaurants issue. True Thai has the best and most loyal customers of any restaurant in town, and I am again grateful to all of you for your votes and support.

Last year was very difficult for us. Losing Anousone "Ped" Phanthavong was a terrible blow to our kitchen but our loyalty to our employees was rewarded when some of the top Asian cooks in the Twin Cities applied for Ped's job. The new cooks picked up on our recipes immediately (I think Ped's spirit was whispering to them) and brought with them some tasty new dishes that have already made it to our menu.

So, on behalf of Ped, our new cooks and all the True Thai family, thank you for your votes and your continued support of True Thai Restaurant.

Weird food

2012-01-14T17:01:00.002-06:00

I am no Andrew Zimmern, but I have eaten many strange foods in my life. That's why I was so excited when I saw this Ed Kohler post about weird foods. He wants to eat everything on the list and seems to be making a lot of progress. Here's the list with a check mark next to the 63 items I've already tried:

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:
1. Venison √
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros √
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile √
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue √
8. Carp √
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari √
12. Pho √
13. PB&J sandwich √
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart √
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle √
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes √
19. Steamed pork buns √
20. Pistachio ice cream √
21. Heirloom tomatoes √
22. Fresh wild berries √
23. Foie gras √
24. Rice and beans √
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche √
28. Oysters √
29. Baklava √
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas √
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl √
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut √
35. Root beer float √
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo √
40. Oxtail √
41. Curried goat √
42. Whole insects √
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk √
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala √
48. Eel √
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut √
50. Sea urchin √
51. Prickly pear √
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone √
54. Paneer √
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal √
56. Spaetzle √
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores √
62. Sweetbreads √
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian √
66. Frogs’ legs √
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake √
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain √
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette √
71. Gazpacho √
72. Caviar and blini √
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail √
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum √
82. Eggs Benedict √
83. Pocky √
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef √
86. Hare √
87. Goulash √
88. Flowers √
89. Horse √
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam √
92. Soft shell crab √
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish √
95. Mole poblano √
96. Bagel and lox √
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee √
100. Snake √

I think between Ed and I we've eaten just about everything on the list....

Closed New Year's Day

2011-12-28T13:03:00.002-06:00

No, it's not Songkran yet, but this is what New Year's looks like in Thailand

As we do each year, True Thai will be closed New Year's Day. We will be open regular hours on New Year's Eve and January 2.

Please have a fun, safe New Year's weekend and drive carefully!

Best Christmas meal ever?

2011-12-22T15:06:00.000-06:00

If you really love food, your best meal ever is always (hopefully) your next meal. The cooks have been planning to make this Sunday's True Thai Christmas party the best ever. I am not cooking, but I am planning and I asked the cooks to reinvent a famous Thai dish, Pla Bo-Ran. Translated it means Ancient Fish, but the cooks came up with a fish dish that is very fresh tasting. Crispy Tilapia filet garnished with Thai chilis, lemongrass, cashews, shallots, thinly sliced garlic, mint and kafir lime leaves served with a special sauce made from hand-squeezed tamarind juice, palm sugar, salt and fish sauce. Not just fresh tasting, but nutty, crunchy and tasty too!

It's a "lost" recipe. I don't know why it's called Ancient Fish, but if you put that name into Google you mostly get pictures like this one:

Our Ancient Fish looks much better than this!

We know that most of you will be with your families this Christmas, but you can try Ancient Fish now if you like. It's not on the menu yet, but that doesn't mean you can't order it. Whether you ask for Ancient Fish or Pla Bo-Ran, the wait staff will hook you up with what will surely be our Catfish Salad's biggest menu rival for the affections of True Thai fish dish lovers.

The cooks have been fine-tuning the Pla Bo-Ran for a week now, and each time I've had it, it was better than the time before. I am very confident that this Christmas, I'll be eating my best Christmas meal ever. This Sunday would have been Ped's 39th birthday, and in honor of the occasion I predict no food will stick to any wok, the rice will be perfect, and each dish will turn out exactly as planned.

It's a private party for True Thai staff and Ped's family, but if you have no place to go this Christmas, you're welcome to spend it with us. You can email an R.S.V.P to me any time before Saturday morning, or stop by the restaurant in person this week. True Thai has a very big family, and there's always room for more.

True Thai will be closed December 24 & 25

2011-12-20T14:32:00.000-06:00

True Thai will be closed December 24 and 25 as we do every year so our employees can spend time with their families.

Picture courtesy of Thai-blogs.com

We will be open regular hours this Friday, the 23rd, and Monday, the 26th. As usual, we will not be serving any Swedish meatballs or ham in the buffet this week or any other week.

Please have a very Merry Christmas! Drive safely and enjoy your holidays.

The best Christmas concert I ever saw

2011-12-19T16:36:00.000-06:00

Not too long after I moved to America, a friend and I went to Lexington, Kentucky, one weekend looking for a surplus store. We parked our car and immediately gotlost. While walking around we found ourselves walking past a long, long lineoutside Rupp Arena. We started asking people in the line where the surplusstore was. No one knew but one guy suddenly turned to me and offered me a pair of tickets,saying, “here’s tickets for the concert. I have to go home, it’s an emergency.”

My friend tried to take the tickets but this guy would only hand them to me. In retrospect, I suspect he thought the concert would "blow my mind." Well, it did. "Back in the day" Anna looked like this. Needless to say, I had no idea who or what Pink Floyd was. The guy Iwas with made a big deal about the tickets, laughing and saying “you have noidea who this is or what's going on inside.” It was true that I didn’t know what I was in for,but I knew from the lines and the size of the arena that this was the biggestand easily the strangest crowd I had ever been in.

Most shocking to me, even more so than being in the fifthrow for a Pink Floyd concert, was the guy standing next to me. He was smoking marijuanathroughout the entire concert! Being from Thailand I knew what marijuana was,but I didn’t know how openly it was smoked at Pink Floyd concerts.

I don’t remember the concert very well because the wholetime I was watching I could not stop thinking about marijuana, especiallybecause the guy next to me kept offering me some even though I wasn’t old enough to drink.For years afterwards I didn’t go to rock concerts because I thought I would getarrested and deported!

It was the loudest concert I’ve ever been to. It was also(inflation adjusted) the most expensive ticket I’ve ever used. I remember it asbeing a $100 ticket which, for a fifth row seat in 1987, sounds about right (further internet research confirms that it was the most expensive concert ticket of 1987). All I remember is that $100 was more than I made in a week working half-time as a labassistant at the University of Kentucky.

It wasn’t until a few years ago when I told a friend about this concert thatI finally realized what a big deal it was. How big a deal? The picture (below)is from the show I saw! In fact, Wikipedia has a long article about this tour,including a list of all the songs they played! The concert was in early November of 1987, soit wasn’t really a Christmas concert, but I think of it as my best Christmasconcert ever because it had the best Christmas lights I’ve ever seen.

We never did find the surplus store.

Not a Christmas post

2011-12-18T11:49:00.000-06:00

No, definitely not a Christmas post, but this made me laugh — a lot! I bet there is a very funny story behind that sign.

Yes, if a crew of hungry construction workers came in for lunch and all hit the buffet hard . . . then maybe we might lose some money. But even if they came in every day True Thai's buffet closes at 2 pm. Also, most construction workers only get half an hour for lunch so I think our bottom line is safe so long as we don't put any river prawn or scallops in the buffet!

The best gift I ever gave

2011-12-15T08:00:00.000-06:00

I told you about the best gift I ever received in my last post. But not only was Ped's cooking the best gift I ever got, it was the gift that inspired me to give Amanda, one of our employees, the best gift I ever gave anyone.

Last winter, Amanda told me that she wanted to lose weight, just like I had done. So I signed her up with a fitness expert who counseled her about nutrition and helped her to do at least three cardio-intensive workouts a week. Please note that I said nutritional advice — not a diet! Trainers will tell you that the weight you lose while dieting is the weight that you will put right back on. What I learned and what Amanda found out was that the secret to weight loss is exercise, and the secret to keeping extra weight off is to eat the right kinds of food.

Amanda worked out faithfully and she lost sixty pounds in just six months! Because she changed the way she ate, the weight stayed off. Her mom told me that she went from wearing extra-large sizes to extra-small!

Ped's gift to me helped me to lose weight, and I passed it on to Amanda who has been coaching her friends on how to eat right. But best of all, Amanda's mom was working next to Ped when he cooked many of my special meals, and she learned from him how to cook healthy, nutritious meals.

The best Christmas gift I ever received

2011-12-10T16:01:00.001-06:00

Someone asked me recently what was the best Christmas gift I had ever received. I knew the answer immediately. The best gift I ever got was not so much a thing as a service, but not a one-time service. I had just started working out and instead of a present, Ped promised me he would cook all of my evening meals in 2009, even on his days off. I don't know how good your math is, but for me 2009 was the year I got 365 presents.

This may not sound like a big deal to you. After all, Ped was already working in our kitchen so most days he was already at the restaurant when I showed up, but this was in fact a very big deal. Ped was happy that I was working out and trying to lose weight, so each meal he cooked was carefully selected to be healthy, delicious and OK with my diet. On his days off, Ped would come in to cook just that one meal for me.

It was such a great gift that Ped gave it to me again for Christmas in 2009, and then again in 2010. It was not just the best gift anyone ever gave me: it was the three best gifts I've ever gotten.

Yes, we have gift certificates!

2011-12-07T14:39:00.001-06:00

We still have the pretty envelopes my sister Mem made to go with our True Thai gift certificates. The certificates are cleverly designed so that the "amount" is left blank, meaning you can spend as little or as much as you like! No matter how much or how little you spend, you get one handmade envelope with each card. We can also mail them out for you if you can give us the name and address of the recipient.

The best part about giving gift cards and gift certificates for Christmas? Think of all the money you save on wrapping paper!

FYI

2011-12-05T21:41:00.001-06:00

Beady Eye loves loves loves our spring rolls. If you hurry, you can still catch them at First Avenue tonight. Or you can go to YouTube to see their latest video, The Roller.

Closed Thanksgiving Day

2011-11-19T10:14:00.001-06:00

As usual, True Thai Restaurant will be closed on Thanksgiving day only. We will be keeping our regular hours on both Wednesday (Thanksgiving Eve?) and Black Friday. We hope you enjoy this holiday with your family and friends.

And remember — turkey is not indigenous to Thailand. True Thai is a year-round turkey-free zone. That's something to keep in mind when you look in your refrigerator this weekend for something to eat that doesn't have turkey in it.

Another thing to remember is that if you haven't visited True Thai in a while, there are seven (7!) new items on the menu for you to check out, all of which are guaranteed not to contain turkey (but there is tryptophan in our spinach and tofu dishes for people who like to nap after eating).

Looking ahead to Christmas

2011-11-13T11:45:00.001-06:00

The fundraiser is over but we still have not opened the box that contains your donations to Ped's family. We are going to keep it at the restaurant until Christmas day, which is also Ped's birthday. So if you still would like to make a donation, the box will be at the restaurant.

We will then open it on Christmas when True Thai employees and Ped's family are going to gather to remember Ped and to open the donations box. I wish I could invite all of True Thai's and Ped's supporters to be with us, but this will be a family affair for Ped's family and coworkers. I'm sure you will all be with your families this Christmas day but if you have no place to go, talk to me and I'm sure we'll have room for you.

Our four-day fundraiser begins tonight!

2011-11-03T09:33:00.002-05:00

Less than a few hours are left until the charity fundraising event for the family of Anousone "Ped" Phanthavong begins! Angel2Diva Boutique will be taking over the party room and will be offering designer jeans, shirts, purses and accessories for sale, with 20% of all sales going to the family.

If you are not into designer clothes, there will be envelopes and a box so you can still make a donation if you like. Anyone making a purchase or donation will get to try some free sesame ball appetizers.

The fundraiser begins tonight, Thursday, November 3, from 5 pm until 9 pm, and will continue each night through Sunday, November 6. We hope you can make it, and we hope you find something you like.

Confessions of a recovering sugar junkie

2011-10-30T14:16:00.001-05:00

I thought I heard on the radio that today was Anti-Sugar Day. Since Halloween is tomorrow, that seemed to make sense to me but further research showed that the Internet has not heard of National Anti-Sugar Day, although there is a growing anti-sugar movement. The Internet instead says that tomorrow is National Candy Corn Day. I think the Internet is pro-sugar, especially since Friday was National Chocolate Day, this Friday is National Candy Day, Saturday is National Doughnut Day and Monday, November 7, is National Bittersweet Chocolate with Almonds Day.

I'm guessing the Bittersweet Chocolate day is to help Halloween candy junkies come down slowly.

I used to be a sugar junkie. I blame the Indians because they were the first to turn sugarcane juice into edible crystalline carbohydrates (i.e., sucrose, lactose and fructose).

When I was a sugar junkie, I would drink regular Coke (one ounce of sugar per bottle), and every meal was followed by dessert, usually pie or ice cream. I knew the best bakeries for cakes and pies, and, not surprisingly, I weighed half again as much as I do now.

I gave up sugar when I started working out. Ped was very good about cooking healthy meals for me with lots of protein, healthy fat and vegetables. (Hmm, sounds a lot like Thai cooking!) Eating right didn't make me lose weight, but eating right made sure that the weight I burned off through exercise stayed off.

Enjoy your Halloween week sugar binge, but when the sugar rush wears off, give some thought to restricting your sugar intake. The connection between excessive sugar intake and obesity, diabetes and other health problems is well established, but it takes will power to avoid getting too much sugar in your diet, especially since National Vanilla Cupcake, Indian Pudding, Spicy Hermit Cookie, Peanut Butter Fudge, Parfait, Cake, Bavarian Cream Pie, Chocolates, and Mousse Days are all coming up in November! (Trust me, you do not want to know about December's scheduled sugar.)

Undead posts!

2011-10-28T12:05:00.001-05:00

No time to write a new post for Halloween, but here are links to past Halloween posts:

And if you think that's scary, I may rerun them again next year!

Add this to your calendars

2011-10-20T16:50:00.000-05:00

True Thai is proud to be hosting a fundraiser for Anousone "Ped" Phanthavong's family. Here are some screenshots from the promotional flyer.

Angel 2 Diva Boutique will be donating 20% of their gross sales to the fund, and will have lots of designer clothes and accessories for sale but you don't have to buy anything — we will also be accepting donations!

We hope to see you the first weekend in November.

Peppercornpalooza!

2011-10-15T17:41:00.000-05:00

Something happened this week at True Thai that has never happened before. We put a new dish, Young Peppercorn Stir Fry, into the buffet. We had to refill that pan twelve times before the lunch crowd left. Twelve times? I do not know what the old record was, but I am sure it was in the single digits. Wow. You really like young peppercorns!

Here is the description we put on the "new items" menu insert:

Basil,young green peppercorns, hot peppers and bamboo shoots come together in a trulyThai stir-fry dish. Excellent when served very spicy, intriguing at anytemperature. Served on the stem, you can eat these peppercorns with yourfingers, or you can use your fork to blend the peppercorns directly into thestir fry. Either way it's a peppery new twist on a classic Thai stir fry dish.

Peppercorns come on the stem. The technical word for a "bunch" of peppercorns is drupe. Green peppercorns are immature black peppercorns, just like the ones you grind to get black pepper. Wikipedia describes their flavor as "piquant and fresh," which is a fancy way of saying that they taste peppery. Not peppery in a spicy jalapeño way, but peppery in an explosive black pepper way.

What happens when you mix spicy peppers with peppercorns? According to True Thai's lunch customers, the correct answer is that you make an extra trip back to the buffet for some more.

Another hit and run

2011-09-30T14:48:00.001-05:00

I am sad to report that an Augsburg student was the victim of a hit and run accident over a week ago. So far no leads, no one has come forward, and the local news media seems to have already tired of this story. Is it true that hit and run accidents are no longer news unless the community rises up in anger?

Nineteen-year-old Jason Stevens of Rochester does not deserve to be forgotten anymore than Ped does. He was an honors student and an athlete. The Highway Patrol is investigating, but it sounds like this hit and run driver was not courteous enough to leave behind any clues.

I have to wonder if this driver was encouraged by the success (so far) of the Senser family's hit and run strategy. Does Minnesota law enourage drivers who hit pedestrians to drive off?

Mari, a law student at William Mitchell College of Law, contacted me recently to see if I would talk to some students there about Ped's case. I declined because I am very busy, but also because I have shared everything I know about Ped's case in my blog.

But maybe Mari's classmates could be motivated to study Minnesota's DWI and hit and run laws to see if they work the way they are supposed to. I do not get the sense that they do. If Mari and her law school classmates would like to lobby the legislature for stronger laws to protect the innocent, I'd be glad to serve them dinner at True Thai, and then talk to them to see how I can help to get a new law passed, one that will make the Twin Cities safe for pedestrians again.

• • •

I think I need to publish these posts more quickly. Here is yet another hit and run story. I'm sure if I look again, I will find some more. Hit and run accidents are up 15% in recent years, and one reason (aside from alcohol) is that there are more people driving who do not have licenses.

What's in a name

2011-09-23T13:06:00.002-05:00

So many people who come to the restaurant to talk to me want to know more about Ped. Maybe the most interesting story about him is how Anousone Phanthavong came to be known as "Ped."

To begin with, Ped is not the nickname his family gave to him. They called him Pec. Pec is not a Lao word because it comes from the name of an American plane. Just as Anousone was born, a bomb exploded close by. People who saw the plane said the name "The Inspector" was painted on its side. From "The Inspector" came "Pec," Anousone's nickname. Pec as in boom!, a bomb just exploded.

I am not exactly sure how Anousone went from Pec to Ped when he started working at True Thai, but I think it is almost like a bad pun that his nickname went from boom to duck, which is what Ped means in Lao. Duck as in the bird, but in English it also means to take cover, a good thing to do when a bomb goes off.

It's OK when people say Ped's name the way it looks, but Ped is actually pronounced more like "bet," and Pec like "bek."

• • •

Thanks again to everyone who has (or is planning to) donate to the memorial fund for Ped's family. Recent news reminded me that this is not the first memorial fund I have promoted on my blog. More than a year and a half ago I encouraged readers to donate to the Seward Market Memorial Fund.

I was reminded of that terrible crime because the trial of accused murderer Mahdi Ali has just gone to jury. A verdict will bring closure to the families of Osman Elmi, Mohamed Warfa and Anwar Mohammed, the three men killed at Seward Market and Halal Meats. Another man, Ahmed Ali has already pled guilty to three counts of attempted aggravated robbery.

The verdict is in.

Changes

2011-09-20T08:07:00.000-05:00

I don't usually announce personnel changes on my blog, but I'm sure you'll all be happy to learn that Ped's nephew Shawn and his nieces, Cindy and Tiffany, are now working at True Thai. Having plenty of Phanthavongs around is a good thing.

True Thai: Lao powered since 2002.

That is kind of a joke. Yes, True Thai has always had Lao employees. And Hmong employees and Cambodian and Burmese employees, as well as some actual Thai, myself included. I know some foodies think that makes us less Thai, but I do not think they understand Southeast Asians very well. Having a Lao cook in a Thai restaurant is like finding out there's a Canadian in the kitchen at Perkins.

As the Buddhist teacher Atisha once said, "Do not be jealous of other's good qualities, but out of admiration adopt them yourself."

Yes, there are differences in how Americans and Southeast Asians run restaurants. In Thailand, hiring a new cook — even under tragic circumstances— means new dishes. In America, most restaurants "break" their cooks in, teaching them their recipes.

In Thailand a restaurant owner wants to see what new dishes the new cook brought with them. The owner and the other cooks sample everything and decide which ones should go on the menu. Sometimes there is spontaneous collaboration and a new cook's dish is modified to better complement what is already on the menu, other times it's a quick thumbs up or thumbs down vote. If you can't decide, you tinker with the recipe until you're happy (or not). You like a dish or you don't. Food can be hard to prepare, but it should never be hard to eat.

We recently updated our menu insert to add two new appetizers: crunchy Mini Sesame Balls and chewy Prawn Puffs. Now we need to update it again to make room for a saucy new seafood entree, True Tilapia, a filet of tilapia served with an irresistable sauce. We're also adding a change of pace (for us) entree: Grilled Lime Chicken. Chicken, sliced lime, red bell pepper, cilantro and a light, slightly sweet sauce. Served with jasmine white rice. It's not like anything else on our menu, so I think this is a good dish to add.

More new dishes coming soon!

Thank you

2011-09-18T11:53:00.000-05:00

Thank you to so very many people.

Thank you to all of you who have donated to the memorial fund.

Thank you to all of you who sent flowers.

Thank you to all of you who sent cards.

Thank you to all of you who sent emails.

Thank you to everyone who had kind words to say.

Thank you to the police officers from the very busy Third Precinct who stopped in to give us their condolences.

Thank you to Jim Schwebel and his law firm who have done everything in their power to guide and assist Ped's family during this difficult time.

As of today, over 10,000 people have read the posts about Ped on this blog, and tens of thousands have read the Star Tribune's reprint of my post and eulogy for Ped. As the truth about that night comes out, the comments being left on news stories have grown increasingly supportive of Ped's family. Negative comments now seem to be focusing on the family's attorneys, but that is OK because Jim Schwebel will not be distracted. After meeting with Jim, I think he is always mindful of this Zen Buddhist teaching:

These reported events are like an arrow shot at my heart, but it lands at my feet. I choose not to bend over, pick it up, and stab myself with it.

Ped was not an angry man. I think he would have been dismayed by all the anger there has been in the wake of his death. I think he would wish to remind us that, as the Dalai Lama has said, "In the practice of tolerance, one's enemy is the best teacher." But he would also remind us that the Dalai Lama also said, "Where ignorance is our master, there is no possibility of real peace."

The peace Ped's family and friends seek is the same peace that the Senser family seeks. In time, what is hidden will become known for the Buddha has told us that "three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth." The truth shall set us all free.

The Buddha also told us that "holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it someone else; you are the one who gets burned." I hope that this post helps to bring peace to those who read it. We will continue to strive for answers and justice, but I pray that there will be peace in our hearts as we do so.

My remembrance of Ped

2011-09-13T12:05:00.000-05:00

I submitted a guest op-ed to the Star Tribune last week after reading Gail Rosenblum's column in which she defended the Senser family's legal stonewalling. The Star Tribune never responded to my submission, so I am publishing it here in my blog.

— — —

Anousone "Ped" Phanthavong was a dear friend and valued coworker of mine. We opened our restaurant, True Thai, in 2002, and Ped was the only person still working for us who was on our original staff. The State Troopers woke me at 3:45 a.m. because I was the pre-registered owner of Ped's car. My partner slept through the Troopers knocking on our door, but awoke immediately upon hearing my cries of anguish at hearing that Ped had been killed.

The next day I saw the place where Ped had pulled his car off the ramp and onto the grass. I saw bloodstains from his body being dragged forty feet by the Mercedes SUV that hit him. Later I talked to the partner of one of our hostesses who had taken that exit shortly after Ped was killed. His shoes and pants had been ripped off by the pavement as he was dragged up the ramp, leaving him clad only in his white t-shirt and underwear on the pavement where he was left for dead, only three-quarters of a block from Riverside Hospital's Emergency Room.

Over three-hundred people jammed into the funeral home for Ped's funeral. Everyone wore white, the Buddhist color of mourning. It took four cars to bring all the floral arrangements to the funeral home. All white because that was Ped's favorite color. He always wore white t-shirts. Even on a moonless night it would be difficult not to see Ped on a well lit freeway exit ramp.

The day after Ped died the State Troopers told us he was hit by a Mercedes SUV. They told the news media and shortly after that the Senser family's attorney contacted the State Troopers. It would be another nine agonizing days before the Senser family told the Troopers that Amy Senser was driving that night. That did not stop the rumors.

Since Amy Senser came forward, many people have passed rumors on to me and our employees. A daughter was driving, the rumors say. Are the rumors true? We do not know. All we know is what the Sensers have told the State Troopers, and that is not much. So little that a State Trooper advised Ped's brother that the family should get a high-powered attorney. The Trooper perhaps should not have said that, and he didn't say why the family needed an attorney, but by then it was obvious that the Sensers were not going to send the Phanthavongs so much as a sympathy card, let alone meet with them to discuss what happened that night.

Joe Senser is a sports broadcaster now, and has many friends in the media. Since the accident WCCO's Esme Murphy posted about the accident at her blog. She said that she could not defend a hit and run, but then spent the rest of her post defending the Sensers' right to a fair trial. Almost immediately an anonymous commenter posted Ped's arrest record in the comments. That comment was not removed, and it was a shameful thing for the Phanthavong family to see. Yes, Ped had some run-ins with the law. Many refugees from war-torn countries do. It takes a while for young men to understand that while fighting helped them to stay alive in Laos, you do not need to fight to survive in the United States. Ped ended up spending some time in the Ramsey County workhouse, but we picked him up and took him to work each day. Not just because we liked Ped, but because he was, from his first day at True Thai, our best cook.

After Ped was reunited with his family, he spent every day helping his mother cook, and she taught him well. As True Thai won award after award after award for our dishes, Ped grew more confident in his abilities and cleaned up his life. He had been sober for almost three years but he did not trust himself. Almost his entire paycheck would go to his parents. Ped never carried over $20 cash because he was afraid he would weaken and spend that money on bad things. Ped knew his limitations and still managed to overcome them. Exactly one month before he was struck and killed on that off ramp, U2's tour manager stood in our kitchen and watched Ped cook Bono's pre-concert meal. She was so pleased she referred Sade's tour manager to us. Sade's tour manager told us she would refer all her tour management friends to us. None of these bands ever saw our restaurant, but they ordered from us because of Ped's cooking.

But Ped was not a celebrity. Esme Murphy is not the only Twin Cities media personality to defend the Sensers. The Star Tribune's Gail Rosenblum also wrote about the Sensers. Yes, she mentioned Ped, but like all the other local media she just repeated what I had written about him in my blog. Until they held a press conference two weeks after Ped's death, not one Minnesota news person bothered to interview Ped's family. My day job is as a public health nurse for Ramsey County. If the local news media cannot find Lao-English interpreters, I can refer the media to dozens of them.

But I do not think the local news media cares about Ped's side of the story. Gail Rosenblum's column does not allow people to leave comments. You can leave a comment at Bob Collin's MPR News Cut blog, but if you defend Ped, he will argue with you in the comments.

That is OK. Joe Senser is a media guy, and you stand up for your own. But maybe the media should read my eulogy for Ped that was read at his funeral:

Ped is my brother and my best friend. When I was mugged last summer, Ped was the first person to show up to comfort and reassure me. Ped often stopped by the restaurant on his days off to make sure everything was OK. After my mugging, he would come around to check on me to make sure I was OK. I give some of our employees a ride home after work. After the mugging, Ped began stopping by on his nights off to give his coworkers a ride home so I could get a little more sleep.

Ped helped me to keep my feet on the ground, and gave me guidance when I wasn't sure what I should do. More than even me, he cared so much about True Thai and all of us who worked there but Ped loved everyone, not just his friends. Once he made me park my car so he could help a stranded motorist change her tire. When a panhandler would ask Ped for money, Ped would tell them to wait and then would run and cook them a meal.

Each night when I go to True Thai, I go into the kitchen because seeing Ped in his white t-shirt gives me comfort and lets me know everything is running the way it should. I will never see Ped in our kitchen again, but this week I have seen him many times. I will be working up front and I look up and there he is, smiling in that slightly sad, boyish way we all knew so well. His spirit is with us still at True Thai, guiding us, telling us everything is alright.

Ped, when I think of you, the one thing I always think of is your kindness and generosity, which were written all over your face. Such a kind person. Others always came first. You would feed your coworkers first, then you would eat. You always put others before you.

Ped once told me, "Anna, I know I am going to die before you do." Ped, I am so sorry you were right. I will remember you the rest of my life. You were the soul of True Thai. You are the soul of True Thai. You will always be the soul of True Thai. Thank you for always being there for us.

Ped's family and friends and I all miss him very much. Only the Senser family knows for sure what happened that night, and they are not talking. Not to us, not to the family's attorney, not to anyone. But they do have friends in the media. At the press conference a reporter asked me something about "why the family is just after the money?" I was so shocked I could not answer him. The Phanthavongs did not "lawyer up" until after a Trooper suggested they should, and well after the Sensers had decided to speak only through their attorney. No one in the media is trying to find out what happened. It has been decided that the lawyers will do all the talking and that this might take years to be resolved.

Well, I am talking. And I will keep talking about this because I miss my friend Ped, and I am angry that the woman who admitted to driving the Mercedes SUV that dragged him forty feet up an off-ramp still has her drivers license, and is still free to go about living her life. The media can feel sorry for her all they like, but some day the Phanthavongs will have their day in court and I will be there every day to see that they receive the justice they deserve. But that day will not come soon. Until then Ped's nephew and two of his nieces will be working at True Thai, bussing tables and waiting on customers so that their grandparents will not be cast out into the street while waiting and waiting and waiting for the trial of the woman who ran over their son.

Anna Prasomphol Fieser is co-owner of True Thai Restaurant where Anousone "Ped" Phanthavong worked as head cook.

In remembrance of an outstanding employee

2011-09-08T10:47:00.000-05:00

[This was read at Anousone's funeral]

When I was 18, I spent six of the worst years of my life in Southeast Asia. I was a Hospital Corpsman in the U.S. Navy. That was long before Anousone Phanthavong was born, but the bitter aftermath of the war I was in was still being settled in Laos when Anousone was growing up. Seeing what I saw when I was only 18 has haunted me all my life. Sometimes, after talking to Ped, I would realize that he saw many of those same things when he was barely able to walk, and that the violence of war was part of his life growing up in Laos.

War makes people hard, and it is easy to lose your compassion. Ped was not a hard man. He was compassionate and filled with empathy for others. But, again, war makes people hard, and Ped ran with a hard crowd for a while. Usually, that's the end of the story but those stories don't end in a crowded funeral chapel filled with over 300 family and friends.

Ped turned around his life, overcame the obstacles fate placed in his path, and became all that he could be. Yes, he cooked a meal for Bono, but he also cooked meals for many famous people (Brad Pitt, the Coen Brothers, Sade, etc.). Mostly he cooked for people who loved the way he cooked, and came back night after night to try new dishes made special by Ped's unique talents.

The measure of Anousone Phanthavong is not just what he accomplished, as significant as those things were. The true measure of Anousone Phanthavong is that he overcame so much, and yet still managed to accomplish so much more.

[posted by Charles Whitney Jr, co-owner, True Thai Restaurant]

In remembrance of our coworker

2011-09-06T19:24:00.000-05:00

Ped was the kindest person any of us had ever met. He was filled with compassion for others.

When he came in he would cook for his coworkers. He would never cook for himself until everyone else was eating. Ped hated to eat alone, and he loved to make other people happy with his cooking. Ped would even come into the restaurant on his days off to cook just for the employees.

When Ped got mad, he would never be mad for longer than one minute. He was a gentle, caring, compassionate person, and everyone loved working with him.

Ped called all of the women at True Thai "sister." But all of us, male and female, looked up to Ped as our big brother. Because of Ped, working at True Thai was liking being part of a big family. Ped was our role model and, for some of us, he was our hero.

We will miss you Ped.

We will always miss you, big brother.

[posted by "Golf"]

Closed Labor Day

2011-09-04T17:04:00.000-05:00

True Thai Restaurant will be closed all day Monday, September 5, in honor of Labor Day.

True Thai honors and respects our employees who are our most valuable resource.

True Thai Restaurant will be open again on September 6th. Please accept our wishes for a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend.

Thank you all so much!

2011-09-04T17:00:00.003-05:00

So many things to thank so many people for:

cash donations to Ped's family
gifts of flowers (all white!)
everyone who wore white to the funeral
all those who put a $20 bill in the casket (for gas money)
the standing room only crowd at the funeral home
everyone who came to True Thai afterwords to console the family

I was so busy I didn't even have time to think about how we were going to replace Ped, so he sent us a replacement. Three of them, in fact! Word has gotten out that True Thai treats our employees like family, and there are a lot of cooks in town who would like to be loved.

Last Saturday night I was exhausted and thought I had seen it all. Then Sunday night, the day after Ped's funeral, the restaurant was packed with people who came to express their sympathy. I was too tired to panic but as the evening progressed I realized the new cook was working just as fast as Ped, and that she had already learned all our recipes. I think maybe Ped was whispering in her ear because it does not seem possible that anyone could do so well their first night on the job.

I was not sure how True Thai would survive without Ped, but the truth is he is still with us, watching over us. There is no other explanation how we could have served so many people Sunday night with an emotionally exhausted staff and owners.

Ped is still watching out for his family and friends, and we are all still deeply grieved by his passing. If you would like to make a donation to his family, you can mail or drop it off at True Thai Restaurant. Our mailing address is:

True Thai Restaurant
Ped's Memorial Fund
2627 E. Franklin Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55406

Checks should be made out to "True Thai c/o Memorial Fund."

The Mercedes the Highway Patrol was looking for has been found and they have identified the driver. There have been no charges as of yet. Ped was the primary breadwinner for his elderly parents, and any donation would be greatly appreciated.

What the State Troopers know

2011-08-26T11:43:00.000-05:00

KARE-11 linked to Lt. Eric Roeske's Twitter page. Here are the latest updates:

And here is a more recent picture we found of Anousone.

Anousone, we miss you so much.

Remembering "Ped"

2011-08-26T09:14:00.000-05:00

To everyone at True Thai, Anousone Phanthavong was Ped. That is a Lao nickname, and the "p" is pronounced more like a "b." He was devoted to the restaurant and much of his income went to support his elderly parents.

It was just a couple of weeks ago that U2's tour manager came to True Thai to see if we could feed the band and their road company, but there was one condition: Bono insisted that his food be prepared by the owner! I can cook, but I do not do the cooking for True Thai so Ped worked closely with me as we fixed Bono's meal. OK, the truth is Ped cooked Bono's meal and I tried to help as best I could.

As usual, Ped did a wonderful job and the band was very happy. Ped was proud of his cooking and we had many knowledgable customers who would ask if he was working whenever they came in. Ped developed many of newer items on our menu, including X, Y, and Z.

But mostly, I think he should be remembered as a good employee and a good son, a man who cooked for rock stars and who helped introduce thousands of Minnesotans to authentic Thai cuisine. Not bad for a kid who grew up on his own in Laos, somehow managing to make it to the United States to be with his family and his new friends.

True Thai Restaurant will be closed on Saturday from 11 am until 4 pm in honor of Anousone "Ped" Phanthavong's funeral services which will be held Washburn McReavy funeral home at 3816 Penn Avenue North, this Saturday at noon. Afterwards, Ped's friends and family will gather at the restaurant, which will re-open to the general public at 4 pm.

Anousone Phanthavong, 1972-2011

2011-08-24T11:45:00.001-05:00

After the restaurant closed Tuesday night, our head cook, Anousone Phanthavong, was killed in a hit and run accident less than a mile from the restaurant.

KARE11:

The accident happened on the westbound ramp from Interstate 94 to the Riverside Avenue just after 11 p.m.

The State Patrol says the victim, a 38-year-old man from Roseville, was filling up his car with gas on the shoulder of the ramp when he was struck.

The unidentified motorist that struck him then fled the scene.

There was construction in the area but authorities do not know whether that played a role in this accident.

Anyone who may know anything about this fatal hit-and-run is asked to call the State Patrol.

Anousone was an inspired chef and a very hard worker who had lived a very difficult life. He was separated from his parents while growing up in Laos during the years of terrible unrest that followed the Vietnam War. He was reunited with his parents in this country, and is survived by both his mother and father, three sisters and a brother.

Over the years I became very close to Anousone. To me, he was the soul of True Thai, the one person I could always depend on to put quality first. Because he died so close to our restaurant, I know that his spirit will be watching over us just as he watched over our kitchen these last nine years.

True Thai would not have become True Thai without Anousone Phanthavong. He was one of our first hires and our most senior employee, starting work in November 2002, shortly after we opened our doors. In the following months the Star Tribune's Jeremy Iggers honored us for having the "Best Soup" while Minneapolis-St. Paul Magazine named us one of the "50 Best Restaurants in Minnesota." These were just two of the countless accolades True Thai won because of Anousone's diligence and exceptional commitment to quality.

Anousone overcame many difficulties and challenges in his life. He was strengthened and comforted by his Theravada Buddhist beliefs. I am proud to say he was my friend, and I am terribly saddened by his passing. Anousone Phanthavong, rest in peace.

[see this post for information about the funeral arrangements]

Cholesterol on a stick

2011-08-21T09:08:00.009-05:00

It happens to all of us, but it still comes as a surprise when we look in the mirror one morning and realize, "hey — I'm getting old!" For me that moment came when I began to write this post about the Minnesota State Fair and suddenly realized that this year will mark my twentieth visit to the Midway.

I know I should have used an exclamation point but believe me, this year I am not that excited. Deep-fried butter on a stick? Lard only knows what's next. The Star Tribune says that the Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery is delivering 60 tons of cheese curds to the Fair this year for deep frying. Compared to butter on a stick, are deep-fried cheese curds the new tofu?

Here is a list of this year's new state fair foods on a stick:

Chocolate-covered jalapenos
The Breakfast Lollipop (sausage dipped in corn muffin batter with a side of maple syrup
Northwoods salad (mozzarella, basil and grape tomatoes drizzled with salad dressing)
Pizza kabobs
Pretzel dogs
White Razzie Puppies (white chocolate wrapped in Belgian waffles with caramel bacon topping)
Teriyaki chicken

The truth is I was thinking of making up something ridiculous to add to that list, but I could not think of anything more bizarre than what they're already serving. I did try to find a picture of white razzie puppies, but instead of food, Google gave me pictures of little dogs, Sandra Bullock and Salma Hayek. (Sometimes I think Google is weird on purpose.)

As a restauranteur, I feel obliged to try some of these local delicacies, but as public health nurse I think I should picket the Fair and hand out fresh apples and oranges to people as they go in. I do not think I would find many takers. State Fair goers know what they want, and that they want it on a stick. Maybe one of these years we'll get a Glaxo booth where they can sell deep-fried statins on a stick!

Here are some related posts I have written about State Fair food:

Squid Eggs on a Stick!
Corn, but not on the cob or on a stick
Street food

In closing, I swiped this chart of some Asian-style food on a stick from "MissionControl":

Yes, I know. These are all way too healthy for the Minnesota State Fair. (sigh)

See you on the Midway!

Fake true Thai

2011-08-14T10:42:00.001-05:00

I do not get angry very often so before I explain why I'm mad at Trader Joe's "True Thai Tom Yam Soup," I should probably say something about why I named my dining establishment True Thai Restaurant. In Thailand, people say "true Thai" like an American would say "made in America." To be "true Thai," you must be true to everything that is Thailand. That is not an easy thing to do.

What is Thailand? Thailand is the biggest, most fertile agricultural exporter in Asia (not counting India, China or Japan and yes, Burma is bigger but mountains don't count and Indonesia is also bigger but it's broken up into all those islands). There are 64 million Thai. A quarter of the people in Thailand are not entirely Thai. Most of those are ethnically Chinese, a few (like me) ethnically Vietnamese, or Lao or Cambodian, and the rest are members of hill tribes, much like the Hmong before they came to the U.S. But the influence of Thai culture on everyone who lives in Thailand is enormous.

People have lived in Thailand for 40,000 years! Modern day Thailand emerged from the ancient Khmer Kingdom in the 1200s. Thailand is unique among Asian countries in that it was never colonized by the West. Japanese cooking is influenced by the Portuguese. Indian cuisine was subject to British preferences as are some Chinese dishes. Europe changed everything about Asia except Thailand, so when someone says something is true Thai, that means something.

So, about this so-called "True Thai Tom Yam" Trader Joe's is peddling. [I am sitting here tapping my foot as I write this post because I am not amused.] Read the label! True Thai cooking does not include wheat flour as the second most used ingredient! (Water is Trader Joe's primary ingredient.) Thais do not cook with wheat, wheat flour or wheat anything! We are a rice-based culture. We make our bread from rice, our pastry from rice and if it goes into an oven, it probably has rice in it. Thailand grows rice! Thailand does not grow wheat!

I will be fair. The rest of the ingredients (spinach excepted) are very similar to what True Thai Restaurant puts in our Tom Yum soup. Trader Joe is missing some key ingredients and I have my doubts about the quality of some of their spices, but I cannot forgive them for putting wheat in their so-called Tom Yam. Americans with Celiac disease know that Thai restaurants are safe to eat at (watch out for soy sauce but otherwise we're gluten-free). Trader Joe's Tom Yam is not gluten-free, and, frankly, it's not Tom Yum — it's just another rip-off fake Thai food from a German company doing business in the U.S.

True Thai Restaurant works very hard at using only authentic Thai ingredients in our dishes. ข้าวสาลี (wheat) is not an ingredient you see on Thai labels. Wheat is an ingredient you see on Trader Joe labels and I do not think they have any right to call anything they sell true Thai.

OK, I am less mad now but that is partly because I've been listening to music today and it's hard to be mad when you're listening to Sade.

We get referrals

2011-08-09T17:13:00.004-05:00

OK, even if dozens of you hadn't stopped by the cash register to tell me who U2 was, I think I would have figured it out. Tonight we're catering another concert because U2 referred them to us! And yes, I have heard of Sade and I have been known to sing along when Smooth Operator comes on the radio.

The show is at the Target Center and John Legend is opening, but I don't think we're feeding him. There may still be tickets available ($50-150 each!).

I can't make the show, but I am definitely going to buy a copy of Sade's The Ultimate Collection!

We get catering jobs

2011-07-23T13:54:00.004-05:00

I have to admit that I am not a big fan of rock music. We had a very busy Saturday afternoon because we got a big, big order to prepare food for some band playing at the University of Minnesota's new football stadium tonight.

Is it weird that I don't know who U2 is? Are they bigger than Celine Dion?

This is probably why no one comes to True Thai for the music but that's OK because no one goes to rock concerts for the food.

Hot enough for you?

2011-07-19T16:57:00.000-05:00

Wow. The heat index Tuesday afternoon hit 122°F! That's the most Minnesota has felt like Thailand since I moved here.

Anna's tips for hot weather:

Remember to drink lots of fluids
Don't leave the dog or the kids in the car while you're shopping
Get out of the kitchen and go out to eat in air conditioned restaurants

I don't think this qualifies as a Public Service Announcement, but it is my first blog post since July so I think that counts for something. Back in Thailand, we would go to the beach on days like these.

For more exciting pictures of Thai swim suits, see Sean-Inc's Thai Heat Wave post. It's three years old, but the swim suits still look good to me!

Closed for the 4th of July

2011-06-30T07:01:00.000-05:00

True Thai will be open July 1, 2, 3 and 5, but we will be closed on July 4th.

Each July 4th True Thai employees get together at an undisclosed location to celebrate having a day off. For most Americans, the 4th of July means parades and parties and fireworks. It is a very American holiday, but even in Thailand you can find 4th of July celebrations like this one in Chiang Mai from two years ago. (click the link for a video)

I like the hat, but I'm not so sure about the pants. Have a happy and safe 4th of July with your friends and families. True Thai will be open on Tuesday, July 5th, as usual.

Construction alert!

2011-06-24T19:20:00.000-05:00

Just got this notice from True Thai's neighborhood group

We received word from the City today regarding the mill and overlay of the 25th & 26th Ave S-Curve between Franklin and Riverside.

From Stephanie Malmberg, Project Manger:

"As part of the 35W Bridge Detour Route Rehabilitation Project the City will be paving 25^th& 26^th between Franklin & Riverside. The work will begin Monday June 27^th and should be completed by Thursday June 30^th. We will be closing the road to thru traffic for the 3-4 day duration of this work. Local access will be maintained to businesses and residences and emergency vehicles will be able to get through the site. Working hours will be from 7pm to 7am."

For more information: http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/cip/25-26AvesS-R/index.asp

Sorry, but it looks like you'll have to work a little harder to get to True Thai for a few days. Fortunately, it's worth it!

Have you made your Father's Day reservations yet?

2011-06-16T17:20:00.000-05:00

If coming to True Thai Restaurant is part of your Father's Day plan, it never hurts to call in and make a reservation. Father's Day is never quite as busy as Mother's Day, but it's still pretty busy!

I wrote about my Dad two years ago, and how my parents' families immigrated to Thailand from Vietnam a hundred years ago. Not everyone's family story is quite so dramatic (or sometimes even more so), but everyone's stories about their father or mother is special because our parents are special to us.

Have an enjoyable Father's Day with the Dad you love.

Eat Your Vegetables Day

2011-06-16T06:42:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow is national Eat Your Vegetables Day. Thai people really like vegetables. I tried to count how many we have on our menu but lost track at 34 (I am sure there are more than that!). We serve leafy vegetables (lettuce, napa, gailan, spinach, cabbage), onions (green, yellow, purple), peppers (bell, Thai, jalapeño), and hard to find items like Thai eggplant, purple yams and Chinese broccoli, as well as almost all the usual "American" vegetables (peas, corn, tomatoes, green beans, potatoes, etc.).

You can't make Thai food without Thai spices, but all the spice in the world cannot turn a cauliflower bud into a Thai eggplant, or a jalapeño pepper into a Thai prikki-nu hot pepper. Vegetables are very important to Thai cuisine, and it's very hard to order food from True Thai without finding vegetables on your plate.

Children love our vegetables, but we have had a few adults who insisted on their right not to eat any. For them we have appetizers and desserts, but that is no way to go through life. Everybody needs vegetables in their diet, and if you don't like vegetables, you're either eating the wrong ones, or you're eating poorly prepared vegetables. (Hint: the right seasonings help a lot!)

True Thai fans love vegetables. This year, why not drag a vegetable-hating friend to True Thai to find out just how good vegetables can be. They taste good, they're good for you, and veggie dishes are cheaper than dishes with meat or seafood.

True Patio!

2011-06-03T07:35:00.000-05:00

Memorial Day weekend has come and gone, Minnesotans are wearing shorts and it's time for True Thai's patio dining season to begin!

An old picture, but we're getting to be an old restaurant!

Closed Memorial Day

2011-05-29T14:13:00.002-05:00

In my lifetime, Thailand has not known war firsthand. Border skirmishes and internal conflicts, yes. And Japan did invade us during WWII, but only for about eight hours and then we established an armistice. Modern Thailand is not a warlike country, but we certainly know war.

During each war in Asia, Thailand becomes home to countless refugee camps. What I know of war, I learned from others who had fled from war. When I was young and our family would take food baskets to nearby refugee camps, it was heartbreaking to see the smiles of refugees because you could tell it had been a long time since they had any reason to smile.

This picture is of the Umpiem Mai refugee camp in northern Thailand. Over 150,000 people live there, mostly Burmese refugees who have fled the military junta in Burma.

There is nothing good to say about war, and each war creates a flood of victims. Memorial Day is the day we set aside to think about war and those who didn't come back.

True Thai Restaurant will be closed Monday, May 30, in recognition of Memorial Day.

Thai grrr!

2011-05-17T17:16:00.001-05:00

I was happy to learn that there may be more tigers in Thailand than was previously thought. I like tigers, maybe because unlike crocodiles, I have never met a tiger except in a zoo.

In Asia, the tiger is the King of Beasts! In fact, the tiger really is the King of Beasts, having been voted the "world's favourite animal" in a poll conducted by Animal Planet. (Dogs finished second.)

Three species of tiger have become extinct, but six species still remain. The tigers in Thailand are Indochinese tigers (Panthera tigris corbetti), but no matter which species you pick, there is no such thing as a small adult tiger. Male adults of each species grow to eleven feet in length and weigh about 650 lbs.

The Wat Pa Luang Ta Bua Temple in western Thailand is known as the Tiger Temple. There are 34 tigers living with the monks there. I think those are very brave monks! Sadly, that's ten percent of the tigers still known to live in Thailand. You can see a video of those tigers at YouTube.

Now that I live in the United States, I am much more pro-tiger than I used to be. My sister Mem, who still lives in Thailand, is not as big a fan.

*****

I think this is the first time I've ever updated a post, but I just learned there is some good news from Thailand for tigers: Sudjai Chanthawong, the head of Thailand's biggest tiger trafficking ring, has been arrested!

Have you made your reservations yet?

2011-04-26T07:02:00.000-05:00

Every time we celebrate a holiday, I find myself thinking about the next holiday. After Easter, the next holiday is Mother's Day on Sunday, May 8.

But not in Thailand. In Thailand we celebrate Mother's Day on the Queen's birthday, which is August 12. May 8th is Don Rickles' birthday, but I do not think that is why they picked the second Sunday in May to be Mother's Day in America.

Have you made your reservations yet? There are only two days in the year when I know in advance that True Thai will be packed with customers: Valentine's Day and Mother's Day.

Father's Day? We do OK, but our customers seem to like their moms better than their dads. If you like your mom and want to take her to True Thai on Mother's Day, make your reservation now!

Closed Easter

2011-04-22T08:06:00.002-05:00

Just a reminder that True Thai Restaurant will be closed Easter Sunday so our employees can spend time with their families. We will be open during regular hours on Saturday and Monday.

Please accept our wishes for a happy holiday weekend.

Happy Songkran!

2011-04-13T16:19:00.002-05:00

Sorry not to have been posting more often, but a friend just sent me a link to someone else's pictures of the Songkran festivities in Thailand.

I promise to post more often in the future, but in the meantime enjoy Regina's pictures.

Thailand's Got Talent!

2011-03-16T17:34:00.002-05:00

Forget Susan Boyle — the new talent discovery for 2011 is fifteen-year-old First!

First is one of many, many very talented Thais. Here's another video that's much more Thai and much less American.

Yes, Bell Nantita is a transgender Thai, in case you were wondering about the sudden voice change. In Thailand, anyone can be Michael Jackson or Celine Dion or both!

Your vote is very important!

2011-03-14T17:37:00.003-05:00

It's that time of year again! City Pages is accepting ballots for their annual Readers' Poll. I'm not saying who I voted for, but I used a lot of T's when I filled out my ballot.

Nutritionists owe the coconut an apology!

2011-03-02T17:29:00.000-06:00

When I came to this country, I was very skinny and very healthy. I was shocked when I learned in college nutrition classes that coconut oil wasn't good for me. When I was growing up nearly everything I ate was cooked with coconut oil!

Now the experts are saying, "oops, maybe coconut oil is not so bad for you."

[W]hile it is still uncertain whether coconut oil is actively beneficial the way olive oil is, small amounts probably are not harmful. The new federal Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that no more than 10 percent of total dietary calories a day come from saturated fat. For a 2,000-calorie diet, that’s about 20 grams.

I could have told them that. As a public health nurse, I should probably defend nutritionists. I should, but I cannot. Since I started working out regularly, I've learned more about nutrition from fitness trainers than I ever did in a college classroom.

What have I learned? I've learned that in most countries, the traditional dietary practices are almost always healthy and good for you. I've learned that the less time food spends being processed, the better it is for you. And I've learned not to eat anything with a lot fine print on the label.

Good food is made fresh, from fresh ingredients. You may have tried to stock up on True Thai takeout. If so, you've learned that Thai food is not meant to be kept in a refrigerator. Once prepared, it should be eaten, not stored.

I do not wish to be rude, but in my humble opinion, people who invented lard should not criticize other people's cooking oils.

Of course, it is easy to talk about fresh food when you are from a country where it never snows. Preservatives made life in the frozen north (and south) possible. But if you have a choice, always eat fresh foods because given a choice, wouldn't you rather live longer and be healthier?

Plastic food

2011-02-13T12:55:00.000-06:00

A friend just sent me a link to one of the saddest stories I've ever read. In China, criminals are selling fake rice to poor people! Fake rice?

The "rice" is made by mixing potatoes, sweet potatoes and plastic. The potatoes are first formed into the shape of rice grains. Industrial synthetic resins are then added to the mix. The rice reportedly stays hard even after being cooked....

"A Chinese Restaurant Association official said that eating three bowls of this fake rice would be like eating one plastic bag.

I have never eaten a plastic bag but I cannot imagine that they are very tasty, even when cooked with MSG.

The really terrible thing about this story is that rice is already very cheap. Yes, yes — I know that prices went up last year and that rice hoarders almost created a shortage and that prices are still at historically "high" levels —but even at grocery store prices a cup of uncooked rice still costs less than 25¢.

That's why True Thai did not raise our menu prices when the price of rice went up. We go through at least one fifty-pound bag of rice every day, but when the wholesale price of rice skyrocketed, that still cost us less than $10 a day. Still, much smaller restaurants who go through much less rice used that as an excuse to raise their menu prices. I will not share with you what I think these restaurant owners have in common with people who sell fake rice, but maybe you can guess.

I am less reluctant to share with you a link to Jeremy Iggers' review of Tracy's Saloon, an outstanding casual dining establishment just a few blocks west of True Thai Restaurant. The next time you stop by on a Friday or Saturday night and there is a line of people waiting to get into True Thai, remember that Tracy's is just a few blocks down the street and they are Jeremy Iggers approved!

Food and I.Q.

2011-02-08T17:36:00.000-06:00

A new study finds that children who eat diets high in processed food (junk food) have lower I.Q.s. I am not surprised.

My family always believed there was a connection between intelligence and the food you eat. I have written about My Mother's Salmon before, so maybe you already know that when I was little, my Mom fed me salmon for breakfast on days when I had to take a test.

Very few ingredients used at True Thai are processed. I have not done a formal study, but I have noticed that the children who come here to eat on a regular basis seem to be very bright kids. I also think our adult customers are smarter than average, but maybe I am wrong about that.

In years past, True Thai has always had a good crowd on Super Bowl Sundays. I attributed this to our not having any TVs at the restaurant. I cannot say that any more. Last Sunday night it seemed as if there was one person at every table who was watching the game on their phone. I do not think there is enough salmon in the world to help these people.

Please do not think that I dislike all sports. If a Muay Thai boxing tournament is ever held in the Twin Cities, you will not find me at the restaurant watching on my phone. I will be sitting in the front row cheering.

And maybe eating some salmon.

Eating your way through the menu

2011-01-27T16:35:00.000-06:00

A friend sent me a link to an incredible story about JoAnn Stougaard, a blogger who is eating her way through the menu at a Thai restaurant in Los Angeles.

Today, Stougaard will eat her 148th, 149th and 150th dishes from among the restaurant's about 300 mostly southern Thai specialties — the halfway point toward her goal of working her way through the entire menu, curry by curry, pad see ew by pad Thai, miang khun shrimp by yala tiger prawn.

"I'm tying my hair back to get ready," she says, getting down to business. She pulls out her trusty Leica D-Lux 4 camera, which she has used to document via Flickr every Jitlada dish she has eaten, and takes a photo of the plate in front of her — deep-fried soft-shell crab in a dry curry with pumpkin. "OK, let's eat."

Stougaard, an infectiously perky 46-year-old with a white-bright smile, doesn't have to ask before a server brings to the table her preferred beverage — Singha beer. When she wants an extra glass of water, she dashes to the waiters' station and pours it herself. And when customers walk in but the harried staff is too busy to notice, Stougaard will get up, seat them at a table and start recommending dishes.

Wow, I wish True Thai had more customers like Stougaard, although I'm not sure I like the idea of customers bussing their own tables and seating other customers!

I was also impressed that the Jitlada Restaurant has 300 items on their menu, so I tried to find an online copy of it. Their website was not helpful (score 1 for True Thai!), and Menupages.com's Jitlada menu only showed less than 120 dishes. True Thai's menu has 80 items on it, so 120 did not sound like too many to me.

That got me to thinking, maybe they count Chicken Satay as one dish, and Pork Satay as another? If you approach True Thai's menu that way, we have 300 dishes you can order!

But my friend did some more online detective work and found Jitlada's actual online menu. It is a very big menu and they serve some Thai dishes I have never eaten except in Thailand. True, Los Angeles is much closer to Thailand than Minneapolis is, and I'm sure it helps that there are more Thai in L.A. than the rest of the U.S. put together. It also helps that it's warm in southern California. Their farmers can grow things Minnesotans can only grow in heated greenhouses.

How many different True Thai menu items have you ordered? And no, we do not serve kaeng phuung plaa kun sap (fish kidney curry), but if you ask nicely, we will make some special just for you.

Happy New Year's!

2010-12-31T17:31:00.001-06:00

2010 was the Year of the Metal Tiger

True Thai Restaurant will be open on New Year's Eve, but we will be closed on New Year's Day. The Western calendar's New Year's Day, that is. Not everyone celebrates the New Year on the same day.

It used to be that you had to be an Asian astrologer to figure out which day was Thai New Year's, also known as Songkran, but now Songkran (สงกรานต์) always falls on April 13-15. In Burma they call this celebration Thingyan, in Lao it is Songkan, and in Khmer (Cambodian) it is called Chaul Chnam Thmey. Nepalese New Year's fall on April 12-15. In the Indian state of Assam, they celebrate on April 14-15, which is the same as the Bengali New Year.

Tamil New Year's (Puthandu) comes on January 14, the same day as the Punjabi/Sikh New Year in Punjab.

But it is not just Asians who celebrate different New Year's. Ancient Babylonians celebrated in March, and the Iranians still party in March as do many parts of India. The Coptic Church in Africa celebrates Neyrouz in September.

Did you know that Rosh Hashanah is really the Jewish New Year's? And that it's always in the fall? The Vietnamese (Tét), Koreans (Seollal) and Chinese still vary New Year's from year to year due to their use of a lunar calendar, but the Japanese went Western in 1873.

Fortunately, few other cultures drink on New Year's like Americans do, but with the adoption of the Western calendar by most of the world that is changing. Even Thais have been partying on December 31st since 1941.

But even the British didn't agree on New Year's Day falling on January 1 until 1752, 152 years after Scotland picked that day.

And, if you are Muslim, you already had your New Year's on December 7. I'm also pretty sure you didn't have any alcohol to celebrate Ras as-Sana al-Hijreya.

In any language you like, Happy New Year's!

2011 is the Year of the Metal Rabbit

(the bell is optional)

Closed December 24 & 25

2010-12-21T07:20:00.001-06:00

Just a reminder that True Thai Restaurant will be closed all day December 24 and December 25 for Christmas.

Are you looking forward to Christmas? I know I am! Two days off? I think I will spend my vacation time sleeping, eating and reintroducing myself to my cats.

True Thai gift certificates

2010-12-16T17:30:00.000-06:00

Yes, it is that time of year again and my sister Mem has been busy making pretty envelopes for our True Thai gift certificates. The certificates are cleverly designed so that the "amount" is left blank, meaning you can spend as little or as much as you like! No matter how much or how little you spend, you get one handmade envelope with each card. We can also mail them out for you if you can give us the name and address of the recipient.

You can even give yourself a gift certificate if you like!

Happy Chanukah

2010-12-07T17:03:00.000-06:00

Chanukah is almost over, but I thought I should mention that it is celebrated in Thailand, just as it is in most countries. Monday night there was a giant Menorah lighting at Infinicity Hall in the Siam Paragon in Bangkok featuring "world renowned singer" Gad Elbaz.

Personally, I think this menorah looks very Thai....

Why True Thai does not accept coupons

2010-12-06T16:00:00.001-06:00

I see in the newspaper that Groupon is the biggest thing out there right now. Good for them but we do not participate in Groupon's coupon program. They asked, we declined.

In 2011 True Thai will be entering its sixth consecutive year without any menu price increases, even though the price of our ingredients keeps going up. If we started accepting coupons, we would have to raise our menu prices.

As for me personally, sometimes I use coupons for grocery items, sometimes I don't. Sometimes I'll use a coupon to try a new product but mostly I use them to get discounts on products I do use. But True Thai is not a grocery store, and we have no trouble getting customers to try new dishes. Salt & Pepper Mussels with two kinds of sauce (plum and hot sauce), for example. It's not on the menu yet but everyone who's tried them has liked them.

Deep-frying mellows the taste of mussels, making them taste more like oysters except maybe with just a little more "oomph."

No, there won't be a coupon for True Thai's Salt & Pepper Mussels appetizer, but that doesn't mean you can't order them.

Think beyond the coupon.

Much to be thankful for

2010-11-25T08:59:00.000-06:00

Some people see only negatives. They would look at this last year and say, 'Oh Anna, you are too busy, you have too many jobs and are always running around. And you got mugged — how horrible!' I prefer to be thankful that I am busy, and even more thankful that I survived a mugging.

There is always, always, always something to be thankful for. I am thankful that True Thai is doing well but more than anything else, I am thankful to all of you who sent me a get well card after my mugging. Your cards came at a time when I needed reassurance, and nothing is more reassuring than to learn that you are loved by others.

Six months ago I was writing notes to myself about this year's Thanksgiving post, but they were all about thanking my trainers for the new body they helped me to find locked up inside my old body. Thanks to Carla and others I'm more fit than I was when I came to this country years and years ago.

I cannot say that a mugging is no big deal, but being fit helped me to survive and recover from being beaten by a much larger person. There is more to surviving than just living through bad events, though. I was very depressed immediately after the mugging. Depressed that I had lost so much money, depressed that my fitness didn't make me a match for a mugger, depressed that I was a victim.

Then you started coming in and asking how I was feeling. Many of you left cards for me. More cards came in the mail and then still more cards. A TV station came to the restaurant. More people started reading this blog to get progress reports on my recovery. Altogether I received over 600 get well cards and more bouquets of flowers than I had gotten in my entire life before getting mugged.

Yes, this year Anna has much to be thankful for, but mostly I am thankful to all of you for your support and your love of Thai food. And somewhere I believe that my Mom and Great Grandmother Mai are looking down on all of us and smiling.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. I think this is the best holiday of the year, even if it is one I had never heard of before moving to America.

Aaiiieeee!!!

2010-11-17T10:20:00.001-06:00

No, not another mugging. I told you about Stitch, the dog who came to visit me. Well, in addition to Stitch, I was also visited by a zombie. This confused former person thinks he is a vampire and is trying to bite my neck!

There is no dress code at True Thai and you can come in wearing anything you like, but whether you are a dog or a zombie or a vampire — you are not allowed to bite the owner!

Anna's new best friend

2010-11-05T08:30:00.000-05:00

This is my new best friend Stitch. He comes to see me every week and loves to hang out at the restaurant. His owner swears it's not because we give him free #16 (Bangkok Crispy Sweet Beef) which I think is true because Stitch also likes Thai fortune rolls.

I've been told Stitch gets excited whenever he's driven past True Thai. I like Stitch because he likes me. I'm really glad he likes me. I'm glad because he weighs more than I do!

Green Papayas

2010-10-22T18:11:00.000-05:00

We have not been buying many green papayas lately and that makes me suspicious. Thai women eat papaya salad like Americans eat potato salad. Whenever there is a get together one or two people bring the papaya salad, and it's always the same people. Others who volunteer are discouraged from doing so in the future. Papaya salad is serious business!

There are as many ways of making papaya salad as there are ways of making potato salad. There are even more ways of making it wrong. Wrong papaya salad, like bad potato salad, is something to be avoided at all costs.

The correct way of making papaya salad is, of course, the way your mother made it. If your mother did not teach you how to make papaya salad you should probably stick with take out. Papaya salad is not easy to make. In fact, it is the hardest dish to make on True Thai's menu. Which is why I am suspicious.

I am suspicious that maybe our wait staff is not mentioning papaya salad when customers ask for suggestions. They do this as a favor for the kitchen staff who would rather make spring rolls instead of papaya salad.

The truth is papaya salad requires so much time to make I am not sure we really make any money from it, but money is not always the point. Serving good papaya salad is a must for a Thai restaurant. If you do not make good papaya salad, tom yum or pad thai, why would anyone want to come to your restaurant?

The mystery of the curious customers

2010-10-16T15:45:00.000-05:00

I am sorry. I know that I have not been posting very much stuff lately but I have a good excuse: I am very busy!

Lately it seems that everyone who visits the restaurant wants to meet the owner. At first it was because of the attention the media paid to my mugging (I am fully recovered and doing fine — thanks for asking). Then, two weeks later, WCCO ran their mugging story, and people starting coming in and asking to see my teeth. They were mostly dentists (I hope).

Now customers ask to see me because of this picture. It is a picture my Flickr fans have seen, but for some reason now that this bit of True Thai history is framed, everyone wants to see me!

No, I am not going to tell you anything else about the picture, but I will say that most of the customers who ask to see me are older. I do not know why that makes a difference, but it does.

The new picture is sitting in the hallway between the old dining room and the new addition in an alcove where a Buddha statue is protecting it. Next time you come to True Thai, be sure to take a look.

The Queen of Koh Tao!

2010-09-29T17:04:00.000-05:00

I was visiting a friend and because she knew I had been thinking about becoming a rock climber (for about five minutes last spring), she had taped a TV show about rock climbing in Thailand for me to watch. But she did not tell me the name of the show so I was very surprised to see Koh Tao (Turtle Island) on the screen.

I have already told you the story of how my mother's family came to be known as the Suktukwans ("happiness every day"). King Rama V did not just reward my ancestor with a new family name, he also gave him an island, Koh Tao!

I did not mention this before because 1) Turtle Island is not much of an island, and 2) my ancestor immediately sold it for $500. Only five-hundred U.S. dollars? Well, it was 1910, but yeah, no matter how you calculate the inflation that's still only $11,000 in today's dollars.

The island does, however, look like a turtle.

It is the opposite side of the island that is featured in the show because that's where the rocky cliffs are, the ones that are so popular with rock climbers. You can see about a minute and a half of the show if you go to UCTV.

As a child we never actually visited Koh Tao, but I remember daydreaming about what it would have been like had I grown up to be the Queen of Turtle Island. As I recall, my imaginary Turtle Island was quite a bit larger and much more impressive. Still, I wish we had kept Koh Tao in the family as it is not everyone who gets to own an island.

A story about a missing purse

2010-09-27T17:41:00.000-05:00

OK, this is kind of weird. Kelly, the driver who delivers our beer was downtown making a delivery. As she was unloading an order she thought she saw a wallet laying on the sidewalk across the street. She made her delivery and came back out and the wallet was still there, even though there was a lot of foot traffic on that side of the street.

Kelly ran across the street, picked up the wallet and found a $100 bill and a check for $1,000 in it. The check was from True Thai Restaurant, her next delivery stop!

Sort of a big deal, right? So when she made her next stop at True Thai she told us about it. It turned out that the member of our kitchen staff who lost her wallet didn't even know it was missing yet!

I think that is an amazing true story!

A final post about the mugging

2010-09-23T11:13:00.004-05:00

Because WCCO made a big deal out of calling me a "victim," I decided to submit this post to the Star Tribune's Your Voices section. That was two weeks ago and despite a follow up email, they never acknowledged receiving my submission.

Here is what I sent them:

I was mugged, but I am not a victim!

Just before midnight on Friday night, August 20, I was mugged while walking from my restaurant to my parked car. It was a horrifying experience in which I was struck repeatedly on my head and back from behind. I suffered many bruises and spent nine hours in a dentist's chair having my teeth repaired.

I have blogged about my experience (All You Need Is Love and I Was Ambushed!), but because a local television station exploited my mugging, I feel obliged to speak to the greater community about what really happened.

I own and manage True Thai Restaurant, a successful business. Restaurant owners carry cash on them because many of our vendors do not accept checks or credit cards. Thieves know this, and I knew that they knew. But it is only a few feet from the back door of my restaurant to my car, and I thought I was safe. I was not.

That was my mistake. If I was victimized, it was by my own indifference to my safety. If you carry large sums of cash, whether it is in Minneapolis or Bangkok, you need to take precautions. Because I did not, countless neighbors in the Seward Neighborhood are now walking their dogs past my restaurant at closing time, and customers volunteer to walk me to my car each night.

I am lucky to have so many friends and supporters. When the TV station news crew ambushed me on Saturday, September 4, I thought they wanted to do a story about the neighborhood and their support for me. No, they just wanted to show my face on the news with the word "victim" under it. No one knew how much money had been taken, but the police report categorized the theft as over $1,000 (it was $1,100, an unusually large amount for me to be carrying) and to my horror the TV station shared that number.

Now I do feel like a victim. This TV station just told tens of thousands of people that I carry large sums of cash on me late at night (in fact it is usually much less than that). They also acted like the crime had just happened when in fact their coverage ran over two weeks after the crime occurred.

Some people would say, "Anna, you need to protect yourself!" I work out but I only weigh 93 pounds so I think martial arts will not work for me. A customer gave me some pepper spray, but I am scared to carry it with me. I was attacked from behind and had no opportunity to grab anything from my purse to protect me. A gun would not have helped.

My best protection is to make sure we keep the back alley well lighted and that True Thai continues to work with Seward Redesign and other business and residential neighbors to make Seward a safer neighborhood.

Actually, Seward is a pretty safe neighborhood — contrary to what you hear on TV. Yes, we had a shooting last spring but the shooter is in prison and will stay there for a long time. The shootings at Seward Market and Halal Meats were much more terrifying to me than my own mugging was, but the courage of my Somali neighbors in keeping their business open impressed me. Shortly after they re-opened I stopped in to buy something to show my support. The market was empty except for five young Somali men behind the counter, one to wait on customers and four friends who were there to show their support.

In recent weeks I have learned how important support is. Better lights and more police presence are good deterrents to crime, but nothing beats the support of your friends and neighbors, all of whom have done so much to remind me that I am just one of many people in Seward, and that Seward watches out for its own. The cards and flowers and personal reassurances have made it clear to me that I am not a victim. Seward residents are not victims. No one is a victim unless they wish to be, no matter how hard TV stations may work to try to scare us.

Anna Prasomphol Fieser is a full-time Public Health Nurse for Ramsey County Public Health Department. She and her business partner Charles Whitney own and operate True Thai Restaurant on East Franklin Avenue in the Seward Neighborhood of Minneapolis.

I don't know why this didn't interest the Star Tribune, but maybe True Thai should start advertising with them. That does seem to be how things work.

Too tie!

2010-09-21T12:32:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the lack of posts. You have been so wonderful and supportive that I've been too busy to write for my blog!

I do not have any news about True Thai but I do have some reading for you.

Angharad is an English woman who lives in the Twin Cities and who tweets and blogs as Eating4England. She recently visited one of my favorite places, the Hmong Marketplace at 217 Como. She was very fond of the red Thai bubble tea which is just one of the many very tasty beverages there.

You might also want to see "We Dare You Not to Laugh at 31 Foods With Misspelled Names." If you do much shopping for authentic Asian groceries, you probably have noticed that Asians do not always do a good job of translating what's in the box into English. Here is an example:

As you might have guessed, there are 30 more mislabeled pictures waiting for you at URLesque.com.

I was ambushed by WCCO-TV!

2010-09-04T18:29:00.004-05:00

It is every restaurant owner's dream to be on television. We all want to be famous for our food. If I had known a TV crew was coming over today I would have had everyone cleaning and putting out extra flowers. I would have worn my best clothes and jewels and my hair and makeup would have been perfect.

But I did not know WCCO was coming over and they caught me coming out of the gym after an hour-long hot and sweaty workout. I looked terrible! How terrible? Watch WCCO News tonight at 10 pm to see how bad I look after working out.

Not only did I look bad, they didn't talk to me about True Thai's food. All they wanted to talk about was my mugging and the support the Seward neighborhood has shown me. I like to talk about how great my neighbors are but I am getting a little tired of talking about the mugging all the time.

I'm working tonight so I would be very grateful if someone had a way to record WCCO's clip of me and True Thai. It's the 10 o'clock news but I don't know when they'll show it, just that I will look sweaty when they do.

True Thai will be closed Labor Day

2010-09-04T13:32:00.000-05:00

Yes, True Thai will be closed on Monday. That's the bad news. The good news is that we are open today (Saturday), tomorrow (Sunday), and will re-open on Tuesday, September 7.

How are you going to spend your Labor Day? I am pretty sure I will spend mine sleeping in and going to bed early. You can't catch up on sleep, but I like to try.

I will probably also do some housecleaning. I think I have just the outfit for cleaning the kitchen:

All you need is love

2010-08-26T17:04:00.000-05:00

What a week! Since I was mugged last Friday night, True Thai has been jam-packed with neighbors and friends every night. The restaurant is full of flowers, I've received dozens and dozens of get well cards, I've been gifted with two new wallets and almost all of True Thai's closest neighbors have given me their phone numbers (just in case).

Last night a couple from Seward stopped by with their dog Billie, and offered to come back every night to walk me to my car. The police have been stopping by every night to make sure everything's OK. In my life I have never felt so safe!

The bruises are getting better and in another day or two I might let people hug me again (but I'm still sore so a handshake is just fine!). My dentist fixed my dental work Tuesday and I should get my new credit cards in a day or two.

Thank you to all of True Thai's supporters — yes, I know you're out there! Among other clues, you're responsible for Anna's True Thai News' blog traffic spiking:

The mugging happened at midnight on the 20th and two days later blog traffic started going up almost as fast as True Thai's tables filling up at dinner time this week. Actually, not just dinner time. Many of you have been stopping by for a late dinner so as to boost late night foot traffic, further discouraging other muggers.

I'm not mad at the mugger. I think he hit me from behind so many times because he was scared too. Now that Seward residents have come out in force, I'm sure he's thinking about trying another line of work. I'm not.

Running True Thai is the best job I've ever had because it brings me into daily contact with some of the best customers in the world.

Thank you Seward

2010-08-22T17:09:00.000-05:00

Friday night after closing the restaurant I was mugged. It is a part of the American experience I do not recommend and I spent most of Saturday feeling very low and depressed.

Then I went in to True Thai and discovered that all day long our Seward neighbors had been stopping by the restaurant to drop off get well cards and to express their sympathy. I was stunned. The robbery was not in the newspapers but apparently the neighbor who called the police also posted about it to some kind of neighborhood electronic bulletin board.

I am still overcome by the overwhelming support Seward residents have shown in the wake of my mugging. Sitting up front last night it seemed as if every time I finished reading a get well card I'd look up and there would be yet another neighbor with another card.

Seward is a wonderful neighborhood filled with caring, loving people. One stupid mugger didn't change that.
Thank you Seward for being the best neighborhood in the Twin Cities. I am proud to own a business in Seward and grateful to my neighbors for their love and support, coming as it did at a time when I really needed it.

Garden fresh

2010-08-19T16:58:00.000-05:00

I've referenced Anna's Garden before, blogging about the Thai chili peppers and basil we grow behind the restaurant. I also have a garden in my backyard at home, but I want to assure all of True Thai's customers that our locally grown produce comes from the Chang Family gardens, and not my backyard!

Why is this important? Because this is a picture of what one of my homegrown tomatoes typically looks like:

Some friends have speculated that there is nuclear waste buried in my backyard. Others blame it on the three cats buried there. All I know is that I am very grateful to the Chang family for selling their garden fresh produce to us for use at True Thai.

The Chang family has sixteen acres of peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, gailan and other produce growing at four locations just outside St. Paul. Their tomatoes do not look scary like mine do. They taste better too. If they didn't, we'd stick with our usual vendors but to tell you the truth, many of our vendors buy locally during the summer months. Most of True Thai's jalapeños and Thai peppers are locally grown, even in the winter.

I don't know who Lewis Grizzard is, but I've always like this quote from him:

It's difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato.

Fortunately, Mr. Grizzard never had to eat a tomato from my backyard, and I promise that if you dine at True Thai, you never will either!

Oy vay!

2010-08-07T15:40:00.000-05:00

From Bob Von Sternberg at the Star Tribune:

Here we go again.

Another summer weekend, another bunch of traffic-snarling freeway closures.

The most aggravating -- again -- will be the shutdown of the westbound lanes in St. Paul of Interstate 94 between Interstate 35E and Hwy. 280, just like last weekend.

The good news: This is the last closure of the road construction season on that stretch.

Fortunately True Thai's customers are clever and resourceful people who still manage to find their way to East Franklin no matter how much weekend construction there is.

Given the wonderful weather these past few days, I suspect the patio will be full this weekend, no matter how much construction there is.

Construction season continues

2010-07-23T08:29:00.005-05:00

Starting tonight at 10 p.m., a big section of I-94 in St. Paul will be closed. The Pioneer Press has maps:

If you live in St. Paul, this is your chance to come to True Thai the way I do every night. Just take University Avenue almost all the way to 280 but then turn left onto Franklin just a block east of 280.

Follow Franklin across the river and you'll arrive at True Thai in just a few minutes.

We'll be there, waiting for you.

Weekend highway closings

2010-07-17T12:33:00.002-05:00

If you're coming to True Thai this weekend via I-94 or I-35, please read Bob Collins' News Cut blog to find out which highways will be closed when.

There are only two seasons in Minnesota: winter, and highway construction season.

There ain't no such thing as a free lunch

2010-07-13T17:20:00.000-05:00

I have written before about how con artists have tried to take advantage of True Thai. That telephone scam was not typical of the usual stings that criminals use to take advantage of busy restaurants, however. What happened the other night is much more common.

We were very busy. This is an important detail. Con artists rarely come in when business is slow because they don't want you to have any time to figure out what is going on. What was going on the other night was a that a couple came in and immediately told me how often they'd been been in and wasn't it time for us to give them a free meal?

A free meal? As a restaurant owner who has not raised her already cheap prices in over five years, I could not believe their chutzpah. But, as I mentioned, it was very busy, and because they were very loud and blocking the cash register I sighed and told the host to tell their server to give them a free meatless entree.

A cheap way of dealing with a problem, right? Wrong. After they left the server told me they only ordered the one "free" dish between the two of them, and then insisted on extra rice for free. The menu states that extra rice is $1.50 but these two "customers" didn't even want to pay for extra rice! The server gave them extra rice rather than waste her time running to ask me what to do.

OK, so True Thai was out a cheap entree and some extra rice. Did this couple really eat for free? No, not if you count their tip. If you count their tip, they ate at True Thai for 16¢!

I am not insensitive to the economy. I understand that some people really have no money. That's why so much food from True Thai ends up on the tables of poor families in St. Paul, where I work for the Ramsey County Dept. of Public Health. True Thai Restaurant also made donations to several dozen local charities last year. I cannot think of a single charity we turned down.

But I guarantee I will be turning down the next couple who come in asking for a free meal. My friends who heard this story told me that there is a famous American acronym: TANSTAAFL. It stands for There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch.

True Thai's new motto is TANSTAASFL: There Ain't No Such Thing As A Second Free Lunch.

We're still working on the concept.

Life in the Seward neighborhood

2010-07-11T11:17:00.001-05:00

I'm sure many of our patrons do not realize that when they visit True Thai Restaurant, they are dining in the Seward neighborhood of Minneapolis. I live St. Paul but since we opened True Thai in 2002, I have come to feel like I am a resident of Seward.

I mention this because the Seward neighborhood is doing something quite different tonight. If you go to the 900 block of Franklin Terrace at 6:30 you can help say goodbye to the oldest tree in Minneapolis. Jeremy Iggers' Twin Cities Daily Planet has the details, but the oak tree in question is believed to be at least 300 years old!

Saying goodbye to their oldest tree is a Seward thing. I like spending time in this neighborhood.

I-94 alert!

2010-07-09T12:56:00.004-05:00

Road crews will be shutting down portions of I-94 this weekend. Customers in St. Paul will not be impacted, but those of you who use eastbound I-94 from the western suburbs and Minneapolis will have to find another route. You should be OK going home unless you live west of Minneapolis.

Sorry for the inconvenience!

Closed Sunday for the 4th

2010-07-01T17:48:00.001-05:00

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True Thai Restaurant will be closed on Sunday, July 4th.

Please accept our wishes for a happy holiday weekend.

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Avenue of the Annas

2010-06-11T17:00:00.000-05:00

Wow. This is sooo strange I cannot believe it.

My name is Anna Fieser. I think you already knew that. I live in a small house in Como Park in St. Paul. For years I had a Latina neighbor to the south of me. Her name was also Anna F. Just today I learned that the older couple who lives just north of me has the last initial of F, and her name is also Anna.

Pretty strange, huh? I have new neighbors on my south side and today I was in the yard and I heard one of the children yell for "Anna!" I turned and said, "I'm Anna." He looked at me and said, "I want Anna my mom."

I was pretty weirded out and asked him what their last name was. Yes, it started with an F.

There used to be TV ads about the United Colors of Benetton. I think our block has just established the United Colors of Anna.Anna F. to my north is white. I am Thai and my neighbor to the south (who lives in the house the Latina Anna F. used to live in) is an African American.

I think we should call ourselves the Axis of Annas!

True Thai's growing family

2010-06-08T18:01:00.000-05:00

The longer True Thai Restaurant has been open, the deeper our ties to our customers have grown but I do not think that really explains this.

All spring long customers have been bringing us plants. Basil mostly, chili pepper plants and some flowers. I think many of you really enjoy knowing that some of our basil and chili peppers are grown in "Anna's garden" behind the restaurant.

Each time the staff tells me a customer has left a new plant, I am touched. You give us your love and your money — that is enough! But we will grow these plants and who knows? The next time you get basil stir fry from True Thai, there may be some basil in it that was grown only a few yards away.
That's eating locally!

Minnesotans like to eat out!

2010-06-01T19:58:00.009-05:00

A fascinating new study says that Twin Cities residents eat out more than almost any other people in the U.S. Average households in Minneapolis spend $3,372 a year dining out, or $9.24 a day.

That's enough to buy any appetizer on True Thai's menu, four of our six different kinds of soup, four of our seven kinds of salads, the vegetarian options for seven of our ten kinds of curry, any of our wok-fried entrees that have a vegetarian option, or the veggie option for any of our rice or noodle dishes.

With drinks, and if you order meat or seafood, you'll probably spend more like $11-12 plus tip, but I think many of you already have a very good understanding of how True Thai helps you to stretch your budget dollars.

* * *

A quick update to let you know that all five free copies of the Crave Minneapolis book have been spoken for and will be mailed out tomorrow.

Not to rub it in, but the last copy went unasked for all weekend and then we got a request from Gigi just this afternoon.

Congratulations to Gigi, Marvin, Megan, Valerie and Kara — you are Anna's True Thai News blog's first ever contest winners!

Closed Memorial Day

2010-05-30T16:58:00.005-05:00

True Thai Restaurant will be closed Monday, May 31,
in observance of Memorial Day.

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Save $20 by reading this post!

2010-05-27T10:17:00.000-05:00

This is True Thai's page in the Crave Company's new book, Crave Minneapolis St. Paul. It is subtitled The Urban Girl's Manifesto but having looked through the book I do not think any of us still qualify as "girls."

But if you are from Minnesota and if you are interested in women entrepreneurs . . . maybe you would enjoy reading the entire book and not just my page. I have set aside five copies for readers so the first five of you to e-mail me with your mailing address will receive a free copy in the mail (or if you prefer we'll hold it for you at the cash register at the restaurant).

If you click on the above image you can read my page for free, and if you are quick to email me you can read the other pages, including the layouts on Tracy Singleton of the Birchwood Café, Linda Haug of Café Twenty Eight, Angelina Rodriquez Corbett of La Cocinita Restaurante, and the amazing Kim Bartmann of the Red Stag Supper Club, Bryant Lake Bowl and Barbette, as well as a lot of other women who are not lucky enough to own a restaurant.

The case of the missing blogger

2010-05-17T11:50:00.008-05:00

Those of you who do not visit the restaurant on a regular basis may have been wondering what's going on with True Thai. The biggest news has been that I've had my left arm in a sling since May 9 when I injured my left arm doing lap pull downs at the gym.

It's not that I can't type with one hand, but having only one hand does not fit into my very busy lifestyle! At the restaurant I have been promoted to the role of greeter while others work diligently to make sure the cash drawer doesn't balance at the end of the night.

I will be sling-free and back up to normal semi-frequent blogging by next week. Until then you'll have to stop by the restaurant to get your True Thai news fix.

Have you made your Mother's Day reservations?

2010-05-04T17:35:00.001-05:00

Mother's Day is this Sunday, May 9. Have you made your dinner reservations yet? True Thai's reservation book is filling up so don't procrastinate or you'll find yourself eating at 4 p.m.!

Last year we were busy all day, even during the notoriously slow hours of 2 to 5 pm. Next to Valentine's Day, I cannot think of a busier day for restaurants. But that does not mean that you're not welcome to bring in a special dessert or bottle of wine. We'll be glad to help with whatever it takes to make your mom happy.
And whether you eat out or stay at home for your special meal with mom, True Thai Restaurant wishes you a happy Mother's Day with many, many more to come.

My 3rd Blogiversary!

2010-04-25T16:00:00.002-05:00

I have been told that blogiversary is a word, and this is the third anniversary of my first post at Anna's True Thai News. (Hmm, seems to be very similar to a post I just wrote....)

Coincidentally, it is almost exactly sixteen years to the day since I started working for Ramsey County as a Public Health Nurse (PHN). While I am glad that True Thai Restaurant makes our diners happy, I feel a greater sense of pride and accomplishment with my achievements with Ramsey County. There are many good Thai restaurants in the Twin Cities now, but there is still a very real need for more public health personnel to work with young mothers, vulnerable seniors and individuals with mental and physical development issues.

When I started working for the county, young mothers and moms to be would see my designer purses and Mall of America makeup and they'd tell me they wanted to be a nurse like me so they could dress nicely. They saw a connection between the clothes and makeup and the job.

Later, after True Thai opened, many of my clients told me they wanted to be just like me because they thought I was rich. True Thai has given many people a good living, but it has not made me rich, just very, very busy. Again my clients were making assumptions not warranted by the facts. Young people often do that. They saw me standing by the cash register and thought my job was to take money from people. They did not see me arguing with vendors over shipments, scheduling staff or managing personnel disputes, but they always noticed my jewelry.

Lately, things have changed. Suddenly the pregnant teens and teen moms I'm working with are complimenting me on my physical fitness, and telling me they want to learn how to eat healthier food. This makes me very happy. I'm glad to tell them that yes, there is a connection between eating the right food, exercise, and success in life.

Not everyone who dines at True Thai is in great shape, but when you're there every day, it's hard not to notice that many of our customers who are overweight become less so over time. Thai food is healthy food. I also like to think that because we're just a few blocks from the Mississippi River, our customers sometimes take a nice long walk after eating. Thai food and a long walk? That's one secret for living a long and healthy life.

There are two kinds of success in America today. I have experienced both of them. When True Thai opened I actually gained weight. I didn't have time to cook and ate out way too often. I didn't have time to exercise, and drove everywhere because I was in a hurry.

Then Carla and the gang at Los Campeones Gym came into my life and I learned that by making time to work out, I had more energy and got more done. Instead of eating out, I ate only food from True Thai's kitchen and started carrying healthy snacks with me to eat while on the job for the county.

When the girls started asking me about diet and exercise the other day, I almost cried I was so happy. I hope this is a new fad and that more and more teens start worrying less about their clothes and financial success, focusing instead on their health and well being, and the health and well being of their children.

Yes, I have been blogging for three years now, but I have been giving sermons to young teen mothers for sixteen years. Best of all, those sermons are finally starting to pay off.

[As for the picture on the left, no, these are not my clients! They are my coworkers. And the county does not make us wear Red Cross signs on our heads! (Usually.) But I am including this picture because I know you like pictures, and because I thought it was time you saw one of Nurse Anna instead of the usual "Anna holding food" pictures.]

Thank you readers!

2010-04-21T12:04:00.001-05:00

It is a good thing that Thai people like to say thank you, because I seem to say those two words a lot. Thank you today to all our supporters who read City Pages and who voted for us for Best Thai Restaurant.

And congratulations to Sen Yai Sen Lek for winning this year's critic's choice Best Thai Restaurant award. They now join the Twin Cities Thai Restaurant Hall of Fame along with two -time winner True Thai Restaurant, Sawatdee, Chiang Mai, Bangkok Thai, and Tom Rup Thai as well as winners in other categories King & I (Best Place for Romance, 2009) and Taste of Thailand (Best Egg Roll, 2009). I think it's safe to say that Minnesotans love Thai food!

As for the other awards out there . . . .

Sorry, I could only find this old photo but according to the list on the right, this is our 28th! fine dining award since opening in 2002. But the best recognition for a restaurateur is seeing familiar faces coming in every night.

On behalf of all the cooks, kitchen help, servers and hosts at True Thai Restaurant, thank you for your continuing support. (We love you too!)

True Thai cuts prices!

2010-04-16T00:30:00.000-05:00

No, we haven't lowered our menu or buffet prices, but thanks to some very astute purchasing decisions by True Thai's wine staff we have just revised our Beer & Wine list, lowering almost all of the glass and bottle prices!

Bottle prices have gone down an average of $1, and most glasses of wine are now 50¢ less!

We also have several new wines for you to pick from:

REDS:
A. Mano Primitivo from Italy
Two Hands Gnarly Dudes Shiraz from Australia's Barossa Valley
Bodega Goulart Classico Malbec and Diseno Malbec from Argentina
Menage a Trois, a blend of Zinfandel, Merlot and Cabernet grapes from Napa Valley

WHITES:
Sherwood Estate Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand
Vila Verde from Portugal
Makulu Pinotage Rosé from South Africa
Apremont Jacquere from France
Clean Slate Riesling from Germany
Angove's Nine Vines Rosé from Australia

I do not know why there is a rosé in both lists, but I am not the wine steward!

I wish we could lower the rest of our menu prices but the cost of food has not gone down even though our commitment to serving the best Thai food at the lowest prices has gone up.

True Thai: trying to help you beat this economy one meal at a time.

Happy Songkran!

2010-04-12T16:50:00.001-05:00

It's funny but the older I get, the more Songkran makes me think of my childhood. Thailand's traditional New Year's celebration runs from tomorrow, Tuesday, April 13th, through Thursday, April 15th. Given the current unrest in Thailand I hope you don't mind my talking about a Songkran that happened many years ago.

I was eleven years old and my friends and I were roaming the streets of Chanthaburi celebrating the big holiday. Traditionally kids and young people throw water at each other on Songkran but wise merchants shut off their outside faucets so as to keep the water fights away from their shops. One of my older brothers, however, owned a coffee shop and he told us that we could have "all the ice we wanted."

Ice?!!! This was taking Songkran to an entirely new level! Little Anna and her girlfriends grabbed all the ice we could carry and started throwing it at our victims. As it turned out, ice hurts more than water and the boys with us quickly discovered that their victims were not shy about swatting young behinds in retaliation. But not the girls. We would laugh and smile and run away to throw ice at new victims.

I do not recall exactly how this happened, but we ended up riding in the back of a pickup truck throwing ice at soldiers. The soldiers didn't laugh but luckily for us they didn't reach for their guns. It wasn't until years later that I realized how lucky we were not to have gotten into serious trouble.

Mostly I remember that my first "snowball fight" was on Songkran when I was eleven years old. It has always been a special memory for me as I did not see "snow" again until I moved to Kentucky many years later!

But I have not had my ultimate Songkran water fight yet. That will come when I finally get to have an elephant on my side!

Water fighters with elephants on their team always win!

Thank you

2010-04-06T17:00:00.001-05:00

Thank you!

No special occasion, I just wanted to say thank you to all of you for your continued support and interest in True Thai Restaurant.

I forgot to make reservations for Easter dinner for Sunday, but as it turned out none were needed. And as we drove to the restaurant, we passed many other restaurants, none of whose parking lots were anywhere near full.

Thank you for choosing True Thai. Because we make you happy and because you keep coming in every night, our food is fresh, our kitchen staff is inspired, and our wait staff are busy. That makes for a very happy Anna.

Closed on Easter Sunday

2010-04-02T07:58:00.001-05:00

Just like Americans, Thai Catholics dress up on Easter. Especially when their older sister is a nun!

I wrote about my church in Chanthaburi earlier this year. I am sure this Easter will be a very big celebration for them. Easter is the biggest holiday of the year for many people.

Sigh. I like to dress up but I think I already know what I am going to do this Sunday.

Yes, Anna is going to sleep in. Seven days a week, 52 weeks a year makes for a very tired restaurant owner!

True Thai is not cheap! (just inexpensive)

2010-03-23T18:11:00.000-05:00

I will admit to something many people do not like to confess to. I google myself. Not just me, but True Thai Restaurant. I google a lot. It feels good to read what others have written about True Thai.

Minnesota Monthly mentioned us a couple of weeks ago. We're on page six of their Cheap Eats story about "the 99 best splurges in the metro under $10."

No one likes to be thought of as cheap, but it's true — you can order our vegetarian red curry with Kabocha squash for only $8.95. Or you can get it with tofu or mock duck for $9.95. Animal protein will cost you extra but the important thing isn't the price. The important thing is that True Thai's red curry with Kabocha squash is good for you.

For starters, Thai curries are mostly made with coconut milk. Coconut milk got a very bad rap in this country because of high saturated fat content. Now nutritionists realize that the saturated fat in coconut is made up of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs). Meat and dairy products contain long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs) which are not as good for you.

Too boring? Try this: "MCFAs...might help speed up metabolism and help promote weight loss." Do I have your attention now?

I thought so. And coconut milk is not even the healthiest part of this popular dish. The Kabocha squash [Japanese winter squash] isn't just healthy, it's revered as "an aphrodisiac"!

Add to that lots of beta carotene, iron, vitamin C, potassium and essential traces of calcium, folic acid and B vitamins and you have a very healthy meal.

For $8.95.

True Thai Kimchi?

2010-03-18T12:19:00.000-05:00

I've been reading The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth and taking notes. While many Thai favorites are included (fresh pineapple, baby greens, spinach, green tea, cashews, bitter melon, persimmons, papayas, mangoes, limes, coconut, bananas, snow peas, tomatoes, hot peppers, onions, mushrooms — actually, it might be easier if I listed True Thai foods not in this book!), I am very intrigued by one item from Korea, kimchi (also kimchee, kim chee).

[photo credit]

Andrew L. Rubman: "This Korean fermented cabbage concoction spiced with capsicum provides healthy stimulus and therapy for the stomach and is often beneficial to those with gastritis, reflux . . . . "

Jonny Bowden, the Ph.D. who wrote this book, says that fermented foods are almost always good for you. Why? Because fermented food contains lactobacilli bacteria which boosts our immune system and fights inflammation.

"Kimchi is a superstar in the world of healthy foods....it has demonstrated antioxidant, antimutagenic, and anticarcinogenic activities. Pretty darn impressive for a sometimes smelly little cabbage dish. Kimchi also contains high levels of vitamins (vitamin C, the B vitamins), minerals (calcium, potassium, and iron) and dietary fiber."

I think by now you may have already guessed where this is going. Yes, this Friday we are putting kimchi-fried rice in our lunch buffet! We've been experimenting with it in the kitchen and have found that the flavors of kimchi blend very well with Thai fried rice. The only difference is that it is crunchier due to cabbage and extra onion.

But this is not a Thai dish so I do not know if we'll ever add it to the menu. Frying kimchi with rice is not my invention either. The Koreans have been eating kimchi for 3,000 years now, and have invented every kind of kimchi dish imaginable. They call their kimchi fried rice kimchi bokkeumbap.

I think I will call mine Thai-chi!

Green curry for St. Patrick's Day!

2010-03-16T08:17:00.000-05:00

This year I decided to do some research into St. Patrick's Day to see if True Thai could get in on the action. I was very surprised to learn that St. Patrick's Day is not so much a drinking holiday in Ireland (where they call it Lá Fhéile Pádraig). I was not surprised to learn that my American friends are wrong about other aspects of this venerable Western holiday as well.

From 1903 until the 1970s, pubs were closed on St. Patrick's Day in Ireland! They did not hold a parade in Dublin until 1931 (the first U.S. St. Paddy's Day parade was in 1737). The Irish began to take this holiday a bit more seriously in 1996 and have since parlayed this once minor Irish holiday into a 4-day excuse for taking money from tourists.

Yes, the American version of St. Patrick's Day is about as authentic as Chow Mein is Chinese! But that will not stop St. Paul from having its 159th consecutive St. Patrick's Day parade this Wednesday.

To honor our Irish American friends, Anna O'Prasomphol Fieser will be featuring green curry, green melon, green beans and other green foods in our Wednesday lunch buffet. We will also serve green jasmine tea. Actually, jasmine tea is more yellow than green, but we will not be adding green dye to our tea!

Leeann Chin, rest in peace

2010-03-13T15:05:00.000-06:00

Leeann Chin, 1933-2010

I do not think there is an Asian woman running a restaurant in Minnesota who has not been compared to Leeann Chin. From 1980 until now she was the gold standard for Asian restauranteurs. Everyone knew who she was, even Minnesotans who do not eat Chinese food.

Like Wolfgang Puck and Minnesota's Mama D, Leeann Chin is an icon. Her name will live on and her story will inspire countless more young Asians to introduce new food to buffet-loving Americans.

Leeann Chin opened her first restaurant after I came to America, and long before I got to Minnesota she was already famous. As a businesswoman she was a big inspiration to me and many other Asian women. At first I admired her for her legendary work ethic, but after opening True Thai I began to appreciate her business skills even more than her hard work.

Services will be held Saturday, March 27th, at Normandale Lutheran Church in Edina.

What others are saying:

The Star Tribune

KARE-11

The Pioneer Press

Found money

2010-03-12T18:02:00.001-06:00

I found $4,000 today but don't get excited. It was my $4,000!

I sent my bank a check for $4,000 to pay on my credit card, but the payment never showed up on my balance. I called the bank and they told me they didn't know what the problem was. I knew what the problem was, I had paid them but they hadn't applied the money to my balance!

So last night several employees and I spent the end of the shift sorting through bank statements and receipts back in the party room. Some party! We found several interesting things and this morning I took our findings into my local branch. The manager pulled up my file and immediately figured out that there had been an entry error transposing two numbers, and that my money had been applied to another credit card account.

The manager apologized and straightened out my account, but the other missing $7,000 we identified from last summer he's still checking into. So I came into $4,000 today, but since it was my $4,000 it wasn't exactly a windfall.

Does your bank make mistakes? Mine sure does!

Another mystery solved

2010-02-28T10:50:00.009-06:00

Sometimes things just happen, but usually I find that things happen for a reason. We have been selling more Tom Yum than usual for the last week and a half and yesterday, thanks to Google, I found out why.

City Pages had a Food Fight but didn't tell us. We were pitted against Sen Yai Sen Lek in a battle to see who had the best Tom Yum. That was not very fair to Sen Yai Sen Lek, a very good Thai restaurant in Northeast Minneapolis that specializes in noodle dishes. There are no noodles in Tom Yum. I think now you see why this was not a fair fight but thank you to Jessica Chapman for saying nice things about us:

You know the saying "Go big or go home?" True Thai definitely goes big. The product of going big is, logically, big flavor, and True Thai's got that too. Generous slices of chicken come with almost every bite and kaffir lime leaves show up about every third. Still, there's those dang mushrooms.

I also like the picture they ran but was puzzled by the fact that we have no purple tablecloths at True Thai. At first I suspected that they had adjusted the color a bit like I did when I was bragging about my cherry tomato plant last year (it's true — I boosted the color because the camera failed to capture the perfection of my awesome tomato plant!). But that does not explain why this picture shows sliced button mushrooms (we use straw mushrooms in our Tom Yum) or why I do not recognize that plate!

I think this is a stock picture. Here is our online menu picture of our Tom Yum:

See the straw mush- rooms? Notice that the bowl is not perfectly round unlike the serving bowl in the background of the City Pages picture.

I think this picture looks much more tantalizing than City Pages', but that is just my personal opinion.

I like personal opinions, especially when they come from bloggers who like True Thai! I recently found two new online reviews of our restaurant and because they say nice things about True Thai, I thought I should share them with you.

The Alchemist Chef likes our corn cakes and says that I am a "super nurse-restauranteur." I like her review a lot!

Blogger Red Pepper at Twin Cities Eats likes us too:

This is, in my humble opinion, the best Thai food that I have had in Minnesota. It is kind of shocking that I have never written about it but this changes that. I have simply never had a dish that disappoints. Apparently, many people think the same as the size of True Thai is at least double what it was on my first visits 5+ years ago.

I like that she brags about how long she's been coming to True Thai, and that she mentions our recent expansion. Friends have told me about how their friends all try to pretend they were the first to find us back in 2002. I think they are all correct. Each night I see faces I have been seeing on a regular basis for the last seven + years. True Thai has many loyal friends from across the Twin Cities and even Wisconsin and we love you all!

But almost every night I see many new faces as well and that also makes me happy. Thai people are very friendly and we like our new friends almost as much as our old friends.

Idle thoughts

2010-02-23T16:51:00.000-06:00

Hmm. Just as I suspected we are starting to get party room reservations for groom's dinners. This always seems to happen a few weeks after Valentine's Day....

In other True Thai news did you know that Thailand has:

238 AM radio stations
351 FM stations
6 television stations (with many, many substations)
4 satellites

Hey! We're just a little country not much bigger than Minnesota and Wisconsin put together. Maybe we don't have so many TV stations as Americans, but we have many, many more Thai restaurants and much nicer beaches!

Beaches. (sigh) Don't Minnesotans ever get tired of all this snow and ice?

Chinese Valentine's Day!

2010-02-12T07:14:00.001-06:00

Wow, wow, wow. Chinese New Year's and Valentine's Day both fall on Sunday, February 14, this year. I am not sure what it means for lovers that they are sharing their day with the Year of the Tiger but I am guessing that the lines at the better Chinese restaurants will be even longer than the lines at True Thai this Sunday. I think that couples celebrating Valentine's Day also need to know that the official gemstone for the Year of the Tiger is the diamond!

Were you born in a Year of the Tiger? Here is a chart that will help you to figure it out:

• 8 February 1902 - 28 January 1903: Water Tiger
• 26 January 1914 - 13 February 1915: Wood Tiger
• 13 February 1926 - 1 February 1927: Fire Tiger
• 31 January 1938 - 18 February 1939: Earth Tiger
• 17 February 1950 - 5 February 1951: Metal Tiger
• 5 February 1962 - 24 January 1963: Water Tiger
• 23 January 1974 - 10 February 1975: Wood Tiger
• 9 February 1986 - 28 January 1987: Fire Tiger
• 28 January 1998 - 15 February 1999: Earth Tiger
• 14 February 2010 - 2 February 2011: Metal Tiger

What does all this mean? Mostly it means that Chinese astrologers make good money this time of year. This, by the way, is not just any Year of the Tiger, this is the Year of the Golden Tiger! Here is what they say about people born in the Year of the Tiger:

Tiger people are sensitive, given to deep thinking, capable of great sympathy. They can be extremely short-tempered, however. Other people have great respect for them, but sometimes tiger people come into conflict with older people or those in authority. sometimes Tiger people cannot make up their minds, which can result in a poor, hasty decision or a sound decision arrived at too late. They are suspicious of others, but they are courageous and powerful. Tigers are most compatible with Horses, Dragons, and Dogs.

The Los Angeles Times says that Chinese New Year's has fallen on Valentine's Day only three times in the last hundred years, and will not do so again until 2030.

I am not Chinese so this all seems kind of silly to me. Thai people, however, do celebrate Valentine's Day. This Sunday True Thai will focus on Valentine's Day, a holiday they will be celebrating in Bangkok in much the same way Americans do. (This is a family blog so I will not go into details!)

Dried fruit for Chinese New Year's!

2010-02-10T18:48:00.000-06:00

The new ya pears are in and I just had some mangosteens for lunch but for me the most exciting food news of the week is that True Thai is going to have dried persimmons in our lunch buffet this Friday!

OK, maybe you would rather have ya pears and mangosteens but they're in season now and will be around for a while. Dried persimmons, on the other hand, only come once a year and are eaten by Asians to help celebrate Chinese New Year's which will be this Sunday, February 14.

Maybe you have not heard of dried persimmons before, but if you put them into Google you get 229,000 responses. If you use the Chinese words for dried persimmons [干柿子], you may get even more. In China, there are over 2,000 kinds of persimmons. Chinese immigrants brought persimmons to California in the mid 1800s. Persimmons do not like snow, and are not fond of extreme heat.

Since there are so many different kinds of persimmons, there are many different kinds of persimmon trees. I thought this one looked pretty:

So remember: this Friday True Thai will celebrate Chinese New Year's by having dried persimmons in our buffet. Friday I will post again to let you know more about Sunday's Chinese New Year's/Valentine's Day celebration at True Thai.

Seward Market donations tallied

2010-02-03T12:43:00.000-06:00

If you google the Seward Market shootings now, you won't find any recent links. Crime happens and then people move on.

But not in Seward. Here our thoughts are still with the families of the victims. I am proud to say that True Thai's customers donated over $600 to the memorial fund set up by Seward Redesign.

I think of you as my family now, and I am very proud of how we responded to this terrible tragedy. This is a good neighborhood, and recent events have proven that to me. The people of Seward did not hide in their homes after the shooting. Hundreds of you came out for the candlelight vigil, and hundreds more dropped money into collection boxes for the families.

I thank you on behalf of the victims' families, and I thank you on behalf of True Thai Restaurant where we are proud to be a part of the Seward community.